College athletes weren't always allowed to make money off their athletic ability. It wasn't until 2021 that the NCAA changed rules to allow students to profit from their "name, image and likeness" -- otherwise known as NIL.
What exactly is NIL?
"NIL" stands for "name, image and likeness" - it refers to a person's legal right to control how their image is used, including commercially. In college, student-athletes have long been prohibited from making deals to profit from their fame, so they forfeited their NIL rights by signing on with college sports teams. Three years ago, a combination of NCAA rule changes and state laws restored NIL rights to college athletes, and they've been making sponsorship deals ever since.