NIL and the transfer portal keep poking holes in the heart of college football. With the pay-for-play culture gaining momentum, players can now evaluate a better team that pays them loads. What adds to the chaos is that there’s no privacy in revenue sharing and NIL details. However, South Carolina is now at a crossroads when it comes to making the details public or private.

South Carolina’s Governor Henry McMaster is doubling down on making it all public for everyone to see. As he points out, the players’ NIL deals are out there, creating problems for the team investing heavily in them.

“It ought to be public, and it shouldn’t be happening in the first place,” South Carolina’s governor, Henry McMaster, said at a media conference. “I think NIL is ruining college sports. I don’t think we’ll understand the impact that it’s having on sports unless we know how much money is being paid. I don’t think it ought to be a secret.”

It doesn’t just allow other schools to offer a better NIL deal but also gives them an upper hand in luring away players. The team already went through a tough 2025 season, ending with a 4-8 record. So losing players to the portal is not something that Shane Beamer’s team can afford this season.

It all started from the NCAA settlement, which allows schools to pay students up to $20.5 million in 2025-26, with $2.5 million set aside for extra scholarships. This led Frank Heindel, a former grain merchant and open records advocate, to file a request for football revenue-sharing plans, but he was denied by USC.

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That did not sit well with Heindel, but the judge asked USC to share non-disclosure affidavits. Then again, the ball was in USC’s court because South Carolina’s lawmakers quickly took a vote of 111-2 to block public access to revenue-sharing contracts.

However, even with that, South Carolina doesn’t want people to know about the amount their players are making. This results in possible poaching. Remember when Michigan lured away quarterback Bryce Underwood with a $10.5 million deal, whereas LSU was just offering $1.5 million?

When players show their athletic skills and abilities, it tends to grab other teams’ attention. It happened with quarterback LaNorris Sellers, who was offered a two-year, $8 million NIL deal to transfer to another school. Though he didn’t pay attention to the noise, and stayed with the team. But it’s pretty clear that NIL offers can lead players to consider better options.

“We need to emphasize to the courts, to the judge that’s hearing this, that the intent and the accuracy of this money is that it is not FOIA-able,” House Majority Leader Davey Hiott said. “It is private dollars raised by the university and required by the NCAA in revenue sharing.”

Some schools, like Iowa State, do show that they divide the money among the programs, as their football gets $13 million, men’s basketball gets $5 million, wrestling gets $1 million, and women’s basketball gets $750k. But teams like Virginia Tech are following the same notion as South Carolina and Clemson.

For now, South Carolina asked for a delay in the hearing until February 2, until the lawmakers make their final verdict. So, it will be interesting to see if the Gamecocks actually gain any momentum in the lawsuit or not. However, the chaos doesn’t just stop at that.

Shane Beamer and South Carolina engage in another major chaos

South Carolina edge rusher Desmond Umeozulu’s move to Alabama sends shockwaves through Shane Beamer’s program. But that move started another major NIL battle for the year. As Beamer demands compensation, due to the claim that Desmond broke the agreement that involved him signing an NIL deal to return for the 2026 season.

He joined South Carolina as a four-star prospect from Maryland and was a top 150 recruit. He played in 12 games and recorded nine tackles, two for loss, and a sack as a sophomore, and totaled 19 tackles as a junior. But after Caleb Herring came onto the team, the position became crowded, limiting his playing time.

That pushed him to transfer to Alabama. But the legal trouble continues as Shane Beamer now seeks an alleged six-figure buyout from Umeozulu, which can be paid either by him or Alabama.

This isn’t just the case with South Carolina. Even LSU paid over $500k for Princely Umanmielen from Ole Miss. Georgia seeks $390k for Damon Wilson for transferring to Missouri. So with this ongoing chaos, let’s see if South Carolina can save its fate or not.