![\"File](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/IMG_march-madness4.jpg_2_1_3L1TGI4N_L44506956.JPG\" "\\"File")
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File art<\/p>\n
Ronald Martinez<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
Florida\u2019s public university leaders on Monday began charting a path through the new world order of college athletics, where new legal rulings and athlete compensation are reshaping how schools compete \u2014 and how they pay for it.<\/p>\n
A newly formed task force created by the State University System\u2019s Board of Governors held its first meeting, bringing together trustees, athletic directors and outside advisers to confront the financial and legal uncertainty surrounding \u201cName, Image and Likeness,\u201d or NIL.<\/p>\n
The task force\u2019s chairman, Ken Jones, said Florida cannot afford to wait for Washington to settle the issue.<\/p>\n
\u201cEven if Congress eventually acts, there will still be room at the margins,\u201d Jones said. \u201cWe have to make sure Florida is positioned to protect its athletes and remain competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
The college sports economy underwent a tectonic shift after the U.S. Supreme Court\u2019s 2021 ruling in NCAA v. Alston, which weakened the NCAA\u2019s authority to limit certain athlete benefits and helped open the door to NIL compensation.<\/p>\n
Since then, endorsement deals, booster-backed collectives and sponsorship agreements have become central to recruiting and roster building.<\/p>\n
Another major shift is looming. A proposed settlement in House v. NCAA is expected to permit schools to directly share revenue with athletes \u2014 a change that could require universities to distribute millions of dollars each year.<\/p>\n
Jones estimated the broader NIL marketplace tied to Florida schools could eventually generate between $3 billion and $5 billion annually.<\/p>\n
Florida has already moved to adapt. Last summer, the Board of Governors approved an emergency policy allowing each public university to access up to $22.5 million per year \u2014 through loans or transfers from auxiliary funds like printing and parking services \u2014 to support athlete compensation over a three-year period.<\/p>\n
The measure was designed to help institutions prepare for revenue-sharing tied to the House settlement and to keep pace with competitors in other states.<\/p>\n
The change marked a departure from Florida\u2019s longstanding expectation that athletic departments operate without relying on broader university resources.<\/p>\n
Despite those steps, task force members said the lack of a national framework continues to create risk.<\/p>\n
Florida Atlantic University Athletic Director Brian White and Florida International University Athletic Director Scott Carr both argued that Congress should grant a limited antitrust exemption, allowing the NCAA and schools to establish enforceable rules without constant legal challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe biggest issue is we don\u2019t have a legally defensible model,\u201d White said. \u201cThat\u2019s where collective advocacy becomes important.\u201d<\/p>\n
Florida State University Board of Trustees Chairman Peter Collins said enforcement \u2014 not just funding \u2014 will determine whether any system works.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t think more money is the answer. I think more control is,\u201d Collins said. \u201cWithout real consequences, rules won\u2019t be followed.\u201d<\/p>\n
Collins said more than 140 athletes at Florida State currently have NIL deals, with typical agreements ranging from $4,000 to $5,000.<\/p>\n
The discussion comes as federal officials signal potential involvement in college athletics. President Donald Trump said earlier this month that he planned sweeping action following a White House meeting with sports and political leaders that included Gov. Ron DeSantis and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, whose son is a walk-on running back for the Florida Gators football team.<\/p>\n
Trump later signed an executive order related to college football television scheduling, but it did not address NIL or revenue-sharing policies \u2014 issues many university leaders say require federal legislation .Task force members said any executive action is likely to face immediate legal challenges.<\/p>\n
As the task force begins its work, Jones outlined several areas of focus. The group plans to develop policies that align with evolving federal law while keeping Florida competitive with states such as Texas, North Carolina and Tennessee. Members also said they will examine how to expand NIL opportunities across all sports while complying with Title IX requirements.<\/p>\n
Another priority is education \u2014 helping athletes navigate contracts, finances and personal branding in a more professionalized system.<\/p>\n
Jones also stressed the need to protect Olympic sports programs that rely on college athletics as a pipeline.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can\u2019t chase short-term gains at the expense of long-term stability,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Board of Governors Chairman Alan Levine said states could pursue their own solutions if Congress fails to act, including potential interstate agreements designed to withstand antitrust challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are options available to states,\u201d Levine said. \u201cCongress would be the simplest solution, but it may not be the only one.\u201d<\/p>\n
The task force is expected to continue meeting in the coming months and develop recommendations for the Board of Governors, which oversees Florida\u2019s 12 public universities.<\/p>\n
This story was originally published March 23, 2026 at 3:34 PM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"File art Ronald Martinez Getty Images Florida\u2019s public university leaders on Monday began charting a path through the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":203572,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[27236,93603,28,30,29,93602,19175,93604],"class_list":["post-203571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-florida","tag-board-of-governors","tag-college-sports-funding","tag-florida","tag-florida-headlines","tag-florida-news","tag-florida-nil-task-force","tag-florida-universities","tag-name-image-likeness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=203571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/203571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/203572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=203571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=203571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=203571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}