NIL is getting hotter and heavier than ever before – but there are two teams that cannot participate.
Naturally, those schools belong to the military and the Navy — as USAA CEO Wayne Peacock says, it’s a “one-way portal” to the academies.
We just saw Bryce Underwood flip his commitment from LSU to Michigan for seven figures – even the potential No. 1 pick of the 2026 NBA Draft in AJ Dybantsa committing to BYU after reportedly accepting an offer of $5 million in NIL- had received money.
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A general view of the Army Black Knights and Navy Midshipmen helmets prior to the 122nd Army/Navy college football game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on December 11, 2021 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Obviously the players in the academies can’t go that route if they go to the Army or Navy. But with the 125th edition of the Army-Navy game kicking off just outside the nation’s capital on Saturday afternoon, Peacock says it makes the annual event that much more special.
“The way I think about this, especially in this age of the portal and NIL, is college football in its purest form. When these guys are on the field, they compete like they’re in battle, and they compete against each other.” against each other as if in battle.
FILE – The Navy Midshipmen and the Army Black Knights line up for the scrimmage during the first quarter of an NCAA football game at Gillette Stadium, Saturday, Dec. 9, 2023, in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Winslow Townson, file)
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“But what is so special is that after the match they come together, march along the respective ends of the stadium, sing each other’s alma mater and put on the club’s uniform.” The United States is going to defend our country, defend our freedom, and that’s what I think is so spectacular about these individuals and this game.”
“There’s only one-way gate into the Army and Navy,” Peacock added. “But what they find are student-athletes who want to play, but also want to do something more than just play, and that’s what makes it so special to me. But their ability to put competitive teams on the field in this environment also speaks to something that we don’t talk about much. And that is the power of teamwork and culture.”
USAA announced Friday that it will remain the game’s sole presenting sponsor through the 2030 edition, a title it has held since 2009.
Army ranks 22nd in the nation with an 11-1 record The Navy is on the outside looking inside, they are 8-3.
A general view of the Army/Navy logo at midfield prior to the 122nd Army/Navy college football game between the Army Black Knights and the Navy Midshipmen on December 11, 2021 at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ. (Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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The Black Knights have won six of the last eight meetings after the Midshipmen took home 16 of the previous 17.
Navy leads the all-time series, 62-55-7.
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