Money in NCAA sports has changed the lives of some. For many athletes, higher education remains a prize

PHOENIX — Johnny Bottorff wasn’t thinking about sponsorship deals at all when he transferred to Northern Arizona University on a football scholarship. As earning opportunities for college athletes have skyrocketed since then, the offensive lineman made a few hundred dollars in name, image and likeness deals, but nothing that changed his life.

Bottorf, 23, earned his bachelor’s degree and is now working toward his master’s degree from a Division I school in Flagstaff, Arizona. He transferred from Missouri Western State University, a small Division II school in St. Joseph, Missouri.

“I think the reality for most college athletes is that things haven’t changed much. We just had a little extra money in our pockets, which is probably what was supposed to happen,” Bottorff said.

For some players, the money from zero deals has redefined what it means to be a college athlete. But aside from top athletes who can now earn millions of dollars while still in school, many players say a college education remains the ultimate prize.

College athletes graduate at rates comparable to, and often higher than, non-athletes. For Division I schools, the NCAA last year reported data showing a record 91% of athletes were graduating.

Before the Supreme Court ruled in 2021 that U.S.-born athletes could make money from endorsements, autographs and endorsements at universities, college athletes had a simple agreement with their institutions: compete in exchange for a degree.

The money received through NIL agreements changed the equation for athletes like Washington Commanders guard Jayden Daniels and Chicago Sky forward Angel Reese, who leveraged their personal brands while still in college, securing endorsement deals with brands like Reebok, Powerade and Beats by Dre.

The priority of academic sciences depends on each person. But several Division I athletes said in interviews that the money available to them through NIL remains a minor consideration compared to earning a degree and playing their favorite sports.

Anthony Leal, a guard on the Indiana University basketball team, said he is returning for his fifth year because of school, although he completed his bachelor’s degree last year. He said earning an MBA was always a goal.

“I’m about 70 percent of the way through the Kelley School of Business program,” he said. “I wanted to get this degree.”

NCAA eligibility rules allow athletes to compete in sports for five years over four seasons. Under the redshirt eligibility rule, many receive an athletic scholarship and practice during their first year but do not participate in games or matches. The NCAA also allowed athletes to extend their eligibility for a year if their team was impacted by the pandemic.

For some athletes, the lack of money is an incentive to attend college and continue their education, but Leal says it’s not often that athletes have zero interest in school.

“Every student knows that at some level this must be a piece of the puzzle. So everyone understands the value of the school,” Leal said. “But yes, of course, some people may have different goals. There are a lot of people, maybe not in Indiana, but there are a lot of people in college basketball that don’t care because you have ZERO (money) and the transfer portal.”

The transfer portal has become a plug and play method for both major companies and rebuilding programs. This allowed athletes to easily change colleges and play the following season, rather than having to sit out a year under the previous rules. And for top athletes, it has become a way to seek better opportunities. UNLV quarterback Matthew Sluka, for example, left the team over a dispute over a $100,000 payout that his agent said was promised but never paid.

The NIL Opendorse platform estimates that the NIL market will reach $1.67 billion in the 2024-2025 school year. Top men’s basketball and football players earn the highest salaries.

Although the NCAA now allows players to transfer without a break, the academic transition can be more difficult.

Ray Harrison enrolled at Presbyterian College in 2020 but transferred in 2022 to Grand Canyon University, a private Christian university in Phoenix, where he is a senior guard on the basketball team. He said ZERO money doesn’t matter. It was a matter of finding a more suitable form for it.

“I only came here because this is where God directed my heart. Of course, we won two conference championships and that changes things,” he said. But it wasn’t a smooth transition—many credits in his course didn’t transfer. “When I came here, I had a little bit of catching up to do.”

Trinity San Antonio, another student who transferred to Grand Canyon, previously attended California Baptist University, a private university in Riverside, California. Finding a school that would accept most of her previously earned college credits proved more difficult than she expected.

“Coming in as a freshman when you’re actually a junior, it’s not ideal,” said San Antonio, who also played basketball for Puerto Rico at the Paris Olympics last summer.

The opportunity to obtain a higher education remains a dream for many young athletes.

Tavarius Covington, a wide receiver for his high school football team in Chicago, dreams of playing in college. But he said his priority is school. He hopes to pursue a degree in business.

Covington took a break from football but returned to it last year, hoping it would help him become the first in his family to attend college and earn a degree, he said.

“I watched my little brother play. We went to his games and the family was happy for him. It got me interested in the game again,” he said. “Part of it is trying to lay the foundation for him as a first-generation college student, hopefully. I want him to know that there is something more waiting for him after he graduates from high school.”

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Marot reported from Indianapolis.