UNC’s Armando Bacot Reveals How Much He Made in NIL Money

Former North Carolina star Armando Bacot spoke about the opportunities he received from NIL.

Mar 28, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels forward Armando Bacot (5) shoots Alabama Crimson Tide forward Sam Walters (24) in the second half in the semifinals of the West Regional of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Crypto.com Arena. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

College student-athletes are getting paid more than some would if they pursued professional careers. While that's caused some to stay in college for an extra few years, it makes sense from the athletes' perspective.

Football and basketball players typically make the most money when it comes to NIL, as those are the two high-revenue sports. Some of the best players at the top programs are making well over $1 million.

It's still rare, but plenty of them are being compensated in ways that were never expected.

That's exactly the case for former North Carolina standout Armando Bacot, who recently signed an Exhibit 10 free-agent deal with the Utah Jazz.

Bacot was a decorated college player, playing all five of his seasons at UNC. In his senior season, he averaged 14.5 points and 10.1 rebounds.

UNC, arguably the greatest college basketball program of all time, opens up avenues that other schools could only dream about. And for Bacot, he was the recipient of those benefits.

In a recent interview on the "Run Your Race" podcast, he spoke about how much he made in NIL.

“$2 million plus — but I’m saying that humbly, though,” Bacot told Theo Pinson and AJ Richardson. “But that speaks on a brand of Carolina because if I didn’t go to Carolina, doing deals with Turbo Tax all those people, I go to Carolina so I’m able to.

“Like when you go to Carolina, like recruits, everything, you go to Carolina and you handle business, you go out there and play, somewhat be marketable and stuff like that. It pays.I can never say a bad word about Carolina everything because I’ve got life-changing money just in college playing basketball. Life-changing money. I’m forever thankful Carolina brand because to be able to make over $2 million, just in college. It’s crazy.”

In his final season, he led the Tar Heels to a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. He also helped the team reach the National Championship in 2022, losing 72-69 to Kansas.

With Bacot revealing how much he made, it'll be an added recruiting bonus for UNC. Recruits listen to these things, and while there are other factors as to why a high school student or transfer portal member will attend a school, NIL is as big of a reason as ever.

It doesn't look to be changing anytime soon, so expect UNC and other schools in their tier to continue to dominate.