Wolverine Digest

Bryce Underwood shares Instagram post wearing new Jordan cleats and new Nike Vapor Elite football

Underwood was also posing next to a brand-new Lamborghini SUV, no indications that the car is his, but the photos highlight how much NIL has changed the landscape of college sports
Jerred Johnson|
Bryce Underwood Instagram

Name, Image and Likeness has changed the landscape of college football forever. And regardless of how you feel about the new NIL world, it is here to stay. In years past, a college athlete sharing Instagram photos of themselves next to a $200k vehicle, riding in it, and also flashing an expensive Rolex watch would have triggered an instant NCAA investigation. Now it is just another Monday in college sports.

Bryce Underwood, at the young age of 17 years old, has used his NIL rights to become a multi-millionaire before he has even taken a snap at the University of Michigan. He's not yet even earned the starting job in Ann Arbor, yet he's already one of the top earning NIL athletes in the country.

College athletes lamented for years the fact that they earned millions for their universities and collectively billions for the NCAA organization, while seeing no returns to themselves. That all changed in July of 2021 when the NCAA began allowing college athletes to cash in on their own name, image and likeness.

Since that time the NIL world has become somewhat of a wild west. Young players, like Underwood, have commanded millions before even stepping foot on their respective campuses. Established players have transferred to other schools with the promise of earning multi-million dollar deals. Collectives and agents have come out of the woodwork to build war chests to keep their schools in the running for top tier talent.

In Mitch Albom's 90's book "The Fab Five" he shared a story of Chris Webber being unable to pay for a chicken sandwich at a local fast-food spot. Webber then pointed out a jersey bearing his name hanging in an MDen window with an $80 price tag. If Webber were playing today, he would have a contract giving him a portion of the proceeds from every one of those jerseys sold.

Bryce NIL
Bryce Underwood used NIL to secure vehicles for his parents and himself | Feldman Chevrolet of Highland

While it is clear there has to be some governance of the NIL spectacle, a path forward has not yet been established. In a free market capitalist society, players are free to leverage their own brand with large companies to make millions of dollars. While it is not clear if Underwood purchased the Lamborghini SUV he shared in his IG post, it is a microcosm of what the new era of college sports has become.

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Jerred Johnson
JERRED JOHNSON

Jerred Johnson has served in the United States military for over 23 years. He has a Bachelors in Marketing, a Masters in Management and is in the final phases of completing his Doctorate in Business Administration.

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