Mike Elko Warns NIL Costs Could Top TV Revenue in 2.5 Years, Driving Programs Toward Bankruptcy
Updated
Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 26
Mike Elko Warns NIL Costs Could Top TV Revenue in 2.5 Years, Driving Programs Toward Bankruptcy
1 articles · Updated · Yahoo Sports · May 26
Texas A&M coach Mike Elko said college football programs could "go bankrupt pretty quick" unless the sport imposes rules on runaway spending, especially around NIL payments.
In his starkest estimate, Elko said schools are about 2.5 years away from NIL budgets exceeding the TV revenue for an entire university, making the current market unsustainable.
Elko tied that warning to playoff politics, joking he would back a 40-team field because it would help coaches keep their jobs, while arguing the postseason should remain difficult to reach.
The comments landed after Texas A&M's first College Football Playoff trip under Elko, whose 11-1 regular season and rising profile gave added weight to his criticism of the sport's incentives.
With football budgets soaring, are Olympic and women's sports at major universities facing extinction?
Is the era of the 'student-athlete' officially over as college sports embrace a pay-for-play future?
Can a presidential order truly tame the billion-dollar spending that threatens to bankrupt college football?