The world of college football is changing more rapidly than ever as the rules and regulations around the sport become more sophisticated and player-friendly.
One of the biggest changes in recent years has certainly been the inclusion of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). Almost over night, we saw “collectives” pop up all over the nation as firms that would help regulate the exchange of NIL funds between schools and players.
As the NIL game has evolved, though, collectives are becoming less necessary, and now the expectation is that programs across the NCAA will soon move to managing their NIL departments in-house, that is pending the approval of the House settlement next spring.
This week, UCF Athletic Director Terry Mohajir addressed changes of this nature that are coming to his program in the very near future.
In his letter to Knight Nation, Mohajir provides an in-depth update on the university’s plans to enhance NIL opportunities for its student-athletes, announcing that the Knights will assume direct leadership of their revenue sharing going forward.
“UCF Athletics will be assuming direct leadership through our newly created unit focused on Strategic Competitiveness, as this move positions us for long-term success and aligns with the anticipated rev share model set to begin July 1, 2025,” Mohajir writes. “Pending final approval of the House settlement next spring, the UCF Athletics Strategic Competitiveness Team will assume responsibilities of rev share initiatives alongside critical areas such as scholarships, recruiting and roster management on July 1, 2025. This transition ensures that all UCF sports programs will benefit from rev share.”
He also explains that, in the meantime, UCF will continue to work with its collective — The Kingdom — to provide athletes with financial support.
“In the interim, the work of The Kingdom remains critical to fulfilling our Mission XII objectives. Continued financial support through June 30, 2025, will be vital to sustaining our recruiting momentum, particularly during key signing periods in November and December. You can make a gift to The Kingdom today by visiting www.kingdomnil.com.”
While the change is expected from programs everywhere, it appears that UCF is among the very first schools to make an official announcement on the matter, as NIL attorney Mit Winter pointed out on X.
UCF has had a rather disappointing football season in 2024, carrying a 4-6 record into Week 13 and in need of back-to-back wins to get to a bowl game.
The Knights are on the road this week at West Virginia and will close out their season at home against Utah next week.
