NIL Shifts the Game: How Division II Athletes and Schools Navigate a Changing Landscape

By Natalia Bowles

For student-athletes like senior basketball guard Jikari Johnson, the disparity between Division I and Division II NIL opportunities is a defining factor in his decision to explore transferring.

“Obviously, the Division I level is different,” Johnson said. “They’ve got more resources financially and more notoriety. The schools recruiting me have been discussing NIL opportunities surrounding their program.”

The senior guard has played one season at Trevecca while surpassing the 1,000 career points milestone. Johnson was in contact with over 40 different schools and received 8 official offers before committing to UT Chattanooga. 

The rise of Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) rights in college athletics has transformed the landscape for student-athletes, but for schools like Trevecca, NIL presents both opportunity and challenge, reshaping how athletes make decisions and how institutions support them.

Johnson’s experience is becoming more common. With greater media exposure and lucrative branding deals, Division I programs offer a platform that most Division II schools can’t match. According to Opendorse’s 2023 NIL Industry Report: Division I athletes earned over 90% of all NIL compensation across the NCAA, whereas Division II athletes accounted for less than 2% of total NIL earnings.

“At Trevecca, there’s no formal process by which we get student-athletes jobs or NIL deals,” said Elliott. “We help where we can — we have people in professions who volunteer to assist with networking, practice interviews or internships — but we don’t have a formalized program.”

Instead of chasing national deals, Trevecca’s NIL support is rooted in mentorship, alumni relationships, and access to Nashville’s professional community, said Elliott. 

Director of Athletic Compliance Breanne Winic said the university encourages student-athletes to pursue NIL opportunities when they arise, but prioritizes academic and athletic balance.

“We’re never going to tell someone, ‘Don’t take this internship because you’ve got practice,’” Winic said. “If it’s required for their education, we fully support that.”

University President Dan Boone said he believes the larger issue with NIL at the Division II level isn’t just about money — it’s about how NIL impacts the college experience itself.

“If I had to choose whether NIL has had a positive or negative impact on college athletics, I’d say negative,” Boone said. “It teaches the idea that if you don’t get what you want right away, you should leave and go somewhere else. I think that’s a poor life lesson.”

Boone added that while he supports NIL as a form of entrepreneurship, encouraging athletes to use their skills to generate income, he worries that the combination of NIL and the transfer portal encourages a short-term mindset.

“College is meant to be a time of building lifelong relationships, finding great mentors and growing over four years,” Boone said. “If you’re constantly chasing the next deal or transfer opportunity, you may have a better athletic experience — but a lower college experience.”

Both Elliott and Boone said schools like Trevecca can’t afford NIL in the same way Division I schools can. 

“If NIL trickles down the way DI is doing it to DII schools, you’re going to find colleges like Trevecca just not having athletic programs,” Boone said. “We already operate on a really thin line of being affordable.”

Student-athletes like Johnson see NIL not just as a financial opportunity, but as a critical part of preparing for life after sports.

“I want to try to maximize NIL so I can have something to sit on before I’m just out in the real world,” Johnson said.

Farrell echoed that sentiment, emphasizing the value of connections.

“What would best help DII athletes navigate NIL better would just be networking,” he said.

Trevecca’s leadership said they remain committed to a values-based approach to NIL, one that emphasizes character, entrepreneurship, and post-graduate readiness over hype.