UofL Coach Scott Satterfield Tries To Minimize NIL Distraction, Emphasize It In Recruiting

Third-year Louisville football head coach Scott Satterfield recently gave his thoughts on his team’s summer progress and how new NIL laws will affect the sport moving forward.

Satterfield emphasized the compliance piece of the new NIL space, and said he wanted to make sure nothing would hinder his players from being eligible.

“This is all new territory for everybody across the country, including our compliance department, everybody’s compliance. I think for us, it’s just make sure and make sure our guys are being safe with the decisions they are going to be making concerning NIL, and going through our compliance,” he said.

“I do think it’s a good thing for these guys to be able to have an opportunity to be able to make some extra money on their likeness,” Satterfield continued.  “But I think the biggest thing for us, is not doing anything that would hinder them from playing, and number two, not doing anything that they could get swindled out of any kind of money.”

Satterfield raises an interesting point that doesn’t get considered much, which is the school’s role in protecting itself by protecting its players. Bad or lascivious business deals will reflect poorly on everyone in the orbit to some extent, so it will be interesting to see what sorts of parameters athletic departments try to enforce with their student-athletes.

Many folks, myself included to some extent, think that NIL deals will simply bleed into recruiting; what was once a clear violation will now be shrouded in the cover of odd sponsorship deals. Satterfield acknowledged that recruiting is supposed to exist independently of the new rules. He thinks the best way to bridge the gap between the two worlds is to use exposure and local business revenue as a sweetener for potential recruits. ‘Come to Louisville, play well, and you’ll be rewarded handsomely.’

“Once we get into this thing, six months or a year into this thing, we’ll have a better idea of kind of how it’s going to work, and the opportunities that guys are going to have. We know that we’re in a great city here, and there should be a lot of opportunity for our guys with the amount of businesses that we have here,” he said.

“You’re gonna have the most opportunity when you go out and play well. If you put a good product on the field, and you’re a good ambassador out in the community, and you do a lot of great things, and those type of companies want to partner up with. I think our guys realize that the fact that I can go out, and I make plays, I do a good job in the community, then there’s going to be a lot more opportunity.”

Coach Satterfield went on to answer many specific questions about the program as they head into their third season together; if you’re a Cardinal fan, you’ll want to check it out in its entirety. The team looks to bounce back from a disappointing 4-7 season in 2020. The Cardinals travel to Oxford, MS on September 6 to take on Kiffin and the Rebels of Ole Miss in their season-opener.