Why South Carolina has been structuring some NIL deals differently

For years, there have been two main ways for athletic departments to cure underperforming programs.

Either fire coaches — head coach, assistant coach, etc. — or allocate more resources toward that program, which used to mean renovate the stadium or build a new locker room. That’s shifted in the modern era toward giving that program more NIL money.

And now there is a major change on the horizon.

When Judge Claudia Wilken approved the transformative $2.8 billion House case settlement on Friday night, it opened a legal pathway for schools to begin sharing up to $20.5 million in revenue annually with student-athletes. The new rules go into effect July 1.

In other words: Every athletic department will likely have a hard salary cap by next month.

“A new era in college athletics is finally