University of Kentucky officials brief lawmakers on NIL, revenue-sharing and roster changes

University of Kentucky athletics officials told a legislative committee on Wednesday that recent litigation and court settlements have fundamentally changed the landscape for college athletics, affecting name, image and likeness (NIL) rights, roster rules and revenue distribution.

"The only constant in the business of intercollegiate athletics has been change," Jason Schloffer, UK’s executive associate athletics director, told the committee as he traced a series of court decisions and the impact of the House settlement on NIL and revenue sharing. Schloffer said the settlement and related rulings allowed institutions to provide new benefits to student athletes and created a revenue-sharing formula that yields roughly $21.3 million for some institutions in the settlement's first year.

Rob Edwards, UK’s vice president for strategy and government affairs, said UK student-athletes have uploaded 578 NIL deals into the Collegiate Sports Commission portal (NIL GO) and described the Collegiate Sports Commission’s role in monitoring roster limits, NIL filings and revenue-share distribution. Schloffer said the university worked with its media-rights partner (JMI Sports) to create NIL services to connect student athletes with local brands and that JMI’s contract is a public document.

Lawmakers asked whether federal proposals such as the SCORE Act or the Protecting College Sports Act should include NIL caps or roster rules. Schloffer said federal legislation emphasizes transparency and market structure, and UK officials said they favor a national framework that preserves educational opportunities and competitive balance while protecting student-athletes.

Committee members pressed UK officials on transfer-portal effects, five-year eligibility changes, and state-level actions Kentucky might take to help stabilize NIL and roster rules; officials said some adjustments (for example, five years of eligibility) may curb rapid re-entry into the transfer market and support degree completion. Several legislators asked about KHSAA rules and whether high-school athletes can be compensated; UK officials deferred to KHSAA rules and said Kentucky’s KHSAA does not permit legal compensation for high-school athletes.

The exchange included operational details about UK’s media-rights arrangements and how power-conference peers have adopted similar NIL services. Officials said they expect ongoing federal debate and that Kentucky’s prior work to authorize revenue-sharing mechanisms and affiliated-corporation support has helped the state be viewed as a national model in some respects.

The committee did not take action; lawmakers asked UK staff to remain available as federal proposals advance.