In another sign of how name, image and likeness payments have fundamentally changed college football, Maryland head coach Mike Locksley admitted this week that player payments became such a contentious issue on his team that it caused strife in the locker room.

There appears to be a difference in NIL strategies between these two college football giants as a major recruiting rivalry surges.

Opendorse, an NIL marketplace, projects $1.175 billion to be spent on NIL in 2023-24 across all college sports. The Grove Collective at Ole Miss raised $1.7 million in NIL funds in one day last month.

While Texas Tech seems to be benefiting in the NIL era, programs like Maryland are hoping revenue share leads to a level playing field.

Locksley pointed to significant shift to the NIL era as the root of the locker room disconnect, which he believed was created by his players not playing for the collective group.

Next week, college football coaches can put the recruiting promises they have made to high school seniors on paper. Then the question becomes whether they can keep them.

Even college football's elite have felt the effects of losing recruiting battles to others over money. Five-star defensive lineman Justus Terry helped Texas secure the top-ranked signing class in the 2025 cycle after pledging to the Longhorns over Georgia largely due to an enhanced offer.

Here are 3 quick takes on MSU football, scheduling and the college football playoff format, and evolving NIL rules in college sports.

USC Recruit Expected to Receive NIL Deal Worth More Than Pro Bowl Tight End originally appeared on Athlon Sports. There's no doubt that in this age of college football, the ability to hand out large name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts is what can separate some of the best teams from the worst.