When a College Football Contract Follows You Into the Transfer Portal

The transfer portal gives college football players more control over where they play.

A signed contract can make that decision more complicated.

Ole Miss is suing two former football players, defensive end Princewill Umanmielen and offensive lineman Devin Harper, alleging they breached agreements with the school before transferring to LSU.

According to Reuters, Ole Miss is seeking $550,000 from Umanmielen and $400,000 from Harper, in addition to attorneys’ fees and court costs.

That is $950,000 at issue between the two players.

The lawsuits are ongoing, and the allegations still have to work through the legal process. But for athletes and families, there is already an important lesson.

Know what you are signing before the money arrives.

NIL Has Become a Contract Business

College athletics increasingly includes written agreements involving NIL compensation, revenue sharing and other financial arrangements.

Those agreements can contain more than a dollar amount.

They may include requirements involving services, timing, exclusivity, termination, repayment or what happens if an athlete leaves the program.

That is why the most important question before signing a deal is not simply:

How much am I getting?

Families also need to ask:

What am I agreeing to?

Understand the Exit Before You Sign the Entrance

A contract can look great while everyone is excited about a new opportunity.

The harder questions are often buried in what happens if circumstances change.

What happens if the athlete transfers?

What happens if a coach leaves?

What happens if playing time changes?

Can money already paid be reclaimed?

Are there penalties for terminating the agreement?

What obligations continue after the athlete leaves?

Those questions are easier to address before a signature than after a dispute begins.

Verbal Promises and Written Agreements Are Different Things

The modern recruiting process can involve conversations with coaches, collectives, representatives and other people around a program.

Families should be careful about treating a verbal promise like guaranteed compensation.

At the same time, they should not treat a written contract like a recruiting promise that can simply be ignored later.

Once an agreement is signed, the actual language matters.

That is one reason athletes should have qualified professionals review important agreements before signing them — particularly when significant money, long-term obligations or repayment provisions are involved.

Protect the Opportunity

The growth of NIL and athlete compensation is creating opportunities that previous generations of college players never had.

It is also creating more complicated business relationships.

Athletes should understand both sides.

Know who is paying you.

Know what you are being paid to do.

Know how long the agreement lasts.

Know what happens if circumstances change.

And most importantly, know what the contract actually says before your name goes on the bottom.

The portal may give an athlete the ability to change schools.

A signed agreement does not necessarily disappear when he does.