Former Vols RB Jaylen Wright on list of players that's growing smaller each year
When most folks think about the way NIL is changing college football, they probably think about the NCAA transfer portal and high school recruiting. NIL deals have become key when it comes to landing high school recruits and players from the portal. But that's not the only major impact that NIL is having on college […]
When most folks think about the way NIL is changing college football, they probably think about the NCAA transfer portal and high school recruiting.
NIL deals have become key when it comes to landing high school recruits and players from the portal.
But that's not the only major impact that NIL is having on college football. NIL deals, which can be lucrative, are leading to more players staying for their final seasons of eligibility instead of declaring early for the NFL draft.
This year, there are only 54 players, including former Tennessee Vols running back Jaylen Wright, that were granted special eligibility for the 2024 NFL Draft.
In 2023, there were 82 early entrants. The 2022 NFL Draft saw 100 early entrants. And in 2021, there were 98 early entrants.
The number of early entrants has almost been cut in half in just a couple of years and it's almost entirely because of the NIL deals that players are receiving to stay for another season.
There's a lot of talk about the negatives surrounding NIL, and it's definitely far from a perfect system, but one plus is that college football fans are getting to see talented players at the collegiate level for longer.
Former Tennessee player fires back at Vols fans; says he played with torn MCL in 2023
He recently transferred away from Tennessee
