Florida Gators Latest School to Prepare for New NIL Rules with GM Search

With some changes looming to the NIL landscape, the Florida Gators have already begun their preparation to prepare for the new rules.

Florida Gators head coach Billy Napier talks with Florida Gators quarterback Graham Mertz (15) and Florida Gators running back Montrell Johnson Jr. (1) during fall football practice at Heavener Football Complex at the University of Florida in Gainesville, FL on Thursday, August 1, 2024 / Matt Pendleton/Gainesville Sun / USA TODAY NETWORK

Student-athletes being legally compensated for their Name, Image, and Likeness by businesses, social media companies, collectives, and even the schools themselves is something that has taken collegiate athletics by storm.

Once the NCAA overturned their previous amateurism rule, the state of the NIL space took off.

Without true oversight, things operated like the Wild West, allowing cash-rich programs to dominate when it came to recruiting or adding through the transfer portal in high-profile sports like football and college basketball.

It was only a matter of time before some changes were made, and with the House settlement getting set to usher in a new era of NIL for college athletics, schools around the country have started to prepare for what that might look like.

According to Pete Nakos of On3, the Florida Gators are the latest to do so.

He reports that their athletic director, Scott Stricklin, and head football coach, Billy Napier, are working with consulting firm The Athletic Group as they do a search to find a general manager for Florida who will "play a key role in the handling of revenue sharing."

Nakos says the House settlement will give schools the option to opt into a model that shares roughly $20 to $22 million per year with players, with that number expected to increase over the next 10 years.

Napier previously told Yahoo! Sports that he expects roughly $15 million will be given to the football program.

"Do the math. We're talking $20 million (in allotted revenue sharing). In most athletic departments, football is 70-75% of the revenue. That's $12.5-15 million. That's the number we anticipate."

The fact Florida and other Power 4 schools are looking to bring someone into their athletic departments who will solely focus on the upcoming revenue sharing system should signal just how significant these changes are going to be for college athletics programs.

The lack of oversight made things difficult for all parties involved, something the Gators know all too well considering the current lawsuit they are in regarding the lack of NIL payments given to one of their past recruits.

In a perfect world, this new model will create an even playing field for school-funded payments, while still allowing players to make money off their name, image, and likeness when it comes to sponsorship deals and their social media platforms.

It will be interesting to see what comes out of this in the end, but it's clear that the ever-changing landscape of NIL is about to take another turn.