Sports agent Leigh Steinberg says NIL has 'exploded,' calls for structure

Athletics departments at big-time schools like Arizona State University are facing an existential crisis one year into a sweeping rule change that allowed college athletes to earn money from endorsement deals.

“This has blown up beyond anybody’s expectations,” sports agent Leigh Steinberg said in a recent phone interview.

Steinberg, a veteran dealmaker, was the inspiration for the Hollywood blockbuster “Jerry Maguire,” which helped put ASU football on the map in the mid-90s thanks to Cuba Gooding Jr. screaming his way to an Oscar with lines like, “I went to Arizona State! I’m a Sun Devil, man!”

Steinberg’s roster now boasts college athletes, including quarterback Spencer Rattler and running back Zach Charbonnet, who need help negotiating “name, image and likeness” deals, which have led to a surprising flood of money into college sports.