I don't pretend to understand everything about the new NIL world, but I do know that the rules require the athlete to provide something back as consideration for these bags of money. It can't just be pay for coming to a school or for reaching a certain level of achievement in the sport.
Any idea what the heck these wrestlers in particular do in exchange for this money? Someone like Caitlin Clark is obvious, as she has commercials on national TV. But say Woods, Nagao, and Truax as wrestling examples--what the heck are they doing for six figure contracts? I certainly haven't seen anything locally with Woods, and I work in IC and follow wrestling stuff very closely. I know it's easy to wriggle around these rules, and the NCAA/courts aren't going to evaluate the proper market value of every NIL contract. Just give a talk or endorsement here and there? Social media stuff?
Also wondering how closely the coaches get to outright violations, since the schools themselves are not permitted to offer NIL deals directly to athletes. Does a coach just say here's why we want you to be a part of our athletic program, and by the way, this third party guy can give you some info about NIL options? And then the collective folks find a way for the details to get back to the coach?
I know it's all a facade, but I'm curious about the actual mechanics on the ground if anyone knows. I'm starting to think the proposed rule that just lets the schools make NIL deals directly with athletes is better. The whole game has changed beyond recognition, might as well quit pretending. That said, if the schools were doing it directly, Title IX likely comes into play.