Should College Sports Agents Charge Athletes 20% Fee for Rev-Share Deals?

Previously, we've discussed what a reasonable fee is for a college sports agent to charge a college athlete for a true NIL deal. In this article, we breakdown the difference between NIL and Rev-Share deals, and what an agent should be charging for Rev-Share deals.

A straightforward way to know if you're signing a true NIL deal or a Rev-Share agreement is if, after signing the deal, you're free to transfer schools. If you are, then it's a true NIL deal; if you're not, then you've signed a Rev-Share agreement (no matter what the title of the deal reads).

CHAMPAIGN, IL - OCTOBER 11: Ohio State Buckeyes WR Jeremiah Smith (4) with Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day during a college football game between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Illinois Fighting Illini on October 11, 2025 at Gies Memorial Stadium in Champaign, IN (Photo by James Black/Icon Sportswire)

The percentages an agent charges for an NIL deal and a Rev-Share agreement should be different. You can expect to pay roughly 20% for true NIL deals; that's because the agent likely invested "sweat equity" in securing the deal that you otherwise wouldn't have received. Rev-Share agreements, on the other hand, come from your sweat -- it's the deal the school wants to enter into with you because of your athlete talents and what those talents can provide to the school.

Rev-Share Contracts & Legitimate Percentages

Rev-Share contracts are paid by the school and require an athlete to attend and play for their school. If the payment under the contract is tied to an athlete being on the team, then charging a marketing-style (NIL) commission of 20% is unreasonable.

Rev-Share contracts are similar to NFL or NBA player contracts (the contracts players sign to play for a particular team, such as TreVeyon Henderson’s 4 year, $11,143,234 deal to play for the New England Patriots). The percentage an agent charges under a Rev-Share-style contract should be in the 3-5% range, not the 10-20% range.

Henderson's agent, Brian Hamilton, received 3% of the 4-year deal with the Patriots. That's the team contract, similar to a Rev-Share contract in college sports. But any other deals Henderson enters into, such as a deal to promote shoes, clothes, or cars, Hamilton likely will receive 20% of those contracts. That's because Hamilton is likely the one researching businesses that would be a good fit for his client to promote, reaching out to those businesses to secure the deal, and negotiating a non-set price for Henderson's services. That's the "sweat equity" that justifies a higher percentage for agents to charge for NIL deals.

The sources of payments to college athletes are anything but clear, unfortunately. Deals are labeled “NIL deals” but appear to require an athlete to play for a particular school. If a clause in an “NIL deal” requires the athlete to remain at a specific school, that clause would convert the deal to a Rev-Share agreement (because only Rev-Share contracts can tie an athlete to a particular school). If that's the case, then the agents should charge the lower 3-5% of the deal. If the deal is a true NIL deal, that is entered no matter where the college athlete enrolls in school, then the agent can reasonable charge up to 20% of that deal.

[Next up in the Agent Series: College Sports Doesn't Need More Laws -- It Needs A Real Agent Regulator]