College Football

WVU AD Wren Baker Calls for One Big Change to NIL

Published

10 months ago

July 12, 2023

There’s no denying Wren Baker has had to deal with a lot already during his brief time as WVU athletic director. But in addition to all the drama surrounding the West Virginia athletic department, he also has to maneuver the current climate in college sports.

In this era, college sports is all about the Transfer Portal and NIL (name, image and likeness). As part of his appearance on a show for Country Roads Trust, a company designed to assist WVU athletes with earning for their name, image and likeness, Baker was asked his thoughts on NIL as it enters year 3.

“I’ve always been, even pre NIL, I was one of the people who were saying I think student athletes should be able to monetize their name, image and likeness,” said Baker about supporting NIL in general. Despite being a fan of it, he did offer some concerns about what’s been going on and where things are headed too. In particular, there’s one big change Baker feels is necessary.

Name, Image and Likeness is entering year 3️⃣! @wrenbaker gives his thoughts and suggestions moving forward.
📺 https://t.co/ptlAjB9QGe pic.twitter.com/qGH1ElJRru
— Country Roads Trust (@CountryRdsTrust) July 6, 2023

“Certainly there’s a lot of couching of pay for play in NIL and the system that we have with no disclosures. If you were to go buy a house, what’s the first thing you want to see? Comps, right? Imagine there being no comps. It’s only just hearsay and what people want to say.”

Knowing exactly what other athletes are receiving is something Baker says needs to happen to make the landscape more fair and easier to manage. He also then expressed a concern that agents are abusing athletes and taking too much in fees.

In a related story from the same interview, Baker explained why he’s confident in the 2023 West Virginia Mountaineers football team.