Evaluating the Past and Future of Penn State’s NIL Initiatives

James Franklin and Patrick Kraft were in Las Vegas last December for the College Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony when they received an email pitch. An agent was shopping football players for potential transfers, and was Penn State interested? The list contained eight names. One played for Penn State — but wasn’t in the NCAA Transfer Portal.

“I was not very happy that was happening,” said Kraft, Penn State’s athletic director.

That moment underlined for Kraft and Franklin the transactional nature of today’s college football, which reduces players to tradable assets, finds agents chasing commissions and turns coaches and athletic directors into general managers. It’s all supported by the 3-year-old Name, Image and Likeness platform, which, coupled with the transfer portal, has redefined college football. The sweeping changes aren’t stopping.