FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas is hoping that the proposed revenue sharing model in an NCAA settlement that would allow schools to set aside 22% of their budget to directly pay the players will help the Razorbacks become more competitive in recruiting players both out of high school and in the transfer portal.
“We just didn’t have the money that other folks had,” Arkansas coach Sam Pittman said. “We are now going to get back into that area and maybe if it’s Even Steven, hopefully, you’ll see the team go back to what we did, what we’re able to accomplish in our first two years.”
Although Pittman didn’t say it directly, it certainly seems to insinuate that Arkansas is hoping that collectives play a smaller role in college athletics than they do currently. The revenue sharing would have little impact on the NIL and the collective.
“I don’t [think revenue sharing will help NIL], Pittman said. “I think we can combine it. We can go a year contract over where we’re at NIL with where we’re going to revenue sharing.”
As Arkansas gets a boost from the revenue sharing program, most of the Power Four conference schools will as well. Revenue sharing will increase the base floor of every program, but it remains unclear if it will create an “Even Steven” playing field for the football program like Pittman hopes. The future of collectives are in flux, but the general consensus is that they are here to stay.
“They wanted to be rid of collectives,” Charlie Winfield, founder of The Bulldog Initiative, Mississippi State’s NIL collective in an interview with CBS Sports. “They wanted it to go away and they just kind of kept hoping they could write it into a settlement. It still faces the same legal hurdles that brought them to court in the first place, which are the antitrust and anti-competitive aspects.”
If collectives stick around, it may make the importance of the newly proposed 50-50 raffle bill, which would directly allow the athletics department to raise money for the collective through a drawing at every Arkansas home game all the more important to keep the Hogs competitive in recruiting players.
Arkansas concludes its regular season on the road against Missouri 2:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will be broadcast on SEC Network.