During a one-hour presentation on Friday to the USC Board of Trustees, new South Carolina athletic director Jeremiah Donati covered a wide range of topics. These included the Williams-Brice Stadium renovation, the Garnet Trust NIL collective, and a comment from one board member about how USC plans to allocate its $20.5 million revenue-sharing cap. The board member jokingly remarked that “our illegitimate cousins in the northwest corner” would likely use their entire $20.5 million for football and nothing else.
Donati also explained that any NIL deal after July 1 would need to meet fair-market value standards. “Any NIL deal over $600 will be reviewed by a clearinghouse to ensure it’s within the proper compensation range,” Donati stated. “If it’s not approved, the student-athlete risks losing their eligibility.”
In an attempt to get more details on the complex and still-evolving NIL landscape, board member Dan Adams asked for clarification with a specific example. “We just competed for a linebacker,” Adams said, “We were going to offer $400,000, but Mississippi took him for $800,000.”
Donati responded, saying, “But, again, you’re playing in the wild, wild West there. I’m looking at post-July 1.” Adams didn’t name the player or clarify where those figures came from. Ole Miss had added three linebackers from the transfer portal, and one of them, Andrew Jones, a Grambling State transfer, had initially committed to South Carolina before flipping to Ole Miss two days later. If Jones was the player Adams was referring to, a team source indicated that the $400,000 figure was inflated and inaccurate.
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