NCAA a 'Non-Factor' In New-Age College Football, Mike Gundy Claims
The world of college football is rapidly changing, for better or for worse. It's becoming closer to a different version of pro football, and the rapid arrival of Name, Image and Likeness is playing a huge role in that.
The NCAA antitrust lawsuit settlement adds a unique wrinkle to the current landscape of the sport, and Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy spoke on the matter.
“Everything will be new and it’s fascinating to me now,” Gundy said. “As we move forward and get into players actually being employees, the issue will be, what do we do with the NCAA? Where do they stand? Because right now, they’re a non-factor."
At times, Gundy has been reluctant to adapt to the new-age college football, but now he seems to understand how much the sport is truly changing while embracing the changes for the betterment of the Cowboys program.
“What role will they play as we migrate toward an NFL model? Will they actually be a factor or not. That’s what’s gonna be really interesting," Gundy continued.
Gundy and the rest of the head coaches at the college football level are keeping an eye on U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken’s potential signature of the settlement with the NCAA that will further shake up the NIL scene.
“It all fascinates me to see what’s next,” Gundy said. “Nothing surprises me anymore. We’re trying to stay ahead of the game a little bit, which is difficult because we don’t know what the parameters are yet."
For Gundy, the plan should be simple -- be ready to take advantage of any rules or loopholes regarding the NIL scene as players continued to get paid for their services, essentially making college football a professional sport.
Speculation has begun that major conferences could move away from the NCAA, which comes as the organization's role in college football continues to dwindle.
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KADE KIMBLE
Kade is a strategic communications student at Southwestern Oklahoma State University, where he also minors in Sports Management. He has been covering the Oklahoma City Thunder with InsidetheThunder.com since the 2022 season after having followed the team since its early days.