NIL or Name, Image & Likeness, has shaken up college football from its very core since its establishment in 2021.
After a 9-0 unanimous decision from the Supreme Court, deciding that limiting education-related benefits would violate anti-trust laws, the college landscape seemingly changed overnight — from attracting talent willing to progress to the next level to pairing that commitment with material benefits along the way.
As of right now, the most valuable players in college football are almost exclusively based in the SEC. Arch Manning tops the list from On3 NIL at $6.6 million, Carson Beck sits comfortably at $4.4 million and Garrett Nussmeier is a close No. 4 after Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith.
Outside of attracting big NIL stars, Arkansas lags on a team level. In 2024, 247sports ranked the top 50 programs with the most NIL money. Arkansas ended up sharing the No. 33 spot at $332 million.
While $332 million sounds like a lot on paper, the Razorbacks are in one of the most competitive conferences in college football. Six out of ten of the top NIL teams are based in the SEC. In a 16-team conference, only two teams (Ole Miss, Vanderbilt) had less money for their NIL efforts.
Despite the evidence and a mediocre 6-6 season pointing to the contrary, head coach Sam Pittman denies that financial viability is an issue.
“We have money. Our donors have been very good financially to us. Revenue sharing coming up here in July. We have money. We’re not losing these kids because we don’t have money,” Pittman answered reporters.
Whether Pittman’s points are true or not, the rest of the SEC clearly disagrees. In 2025, Alabama moved to follow Georgia’s example and made NIL earnings tax-exempt.
With the rest of the SEC moving in one direction, it remains to see if the Razorbacks’ lack of adoption will hurt them in future years.
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