Speaking to Yahoo Senior College Football Reporter Ross Dellenger, Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich stated that the idea of capping athlete compensation has never worked. The comments from Radakovich came with Miami on the verge of adding Duke transfer quarterback Darian Mensah.
Allegations of tampering have been prolific throughout collegiate sports. Texas quarterback Arch Manning has a name, image and likeness evaluation of $5.3 million per On3. Dellenger mentioned the lawsuit Wisconsin filed against Miami cornerback Xavier Lucas, who previously played for the Badgers.
Quarterback Carson Beck has the highest valuation of any Miami athlete at $3.1 million. Issues like Wisconsin suing Lucas, tampering and over-involvement of boosters are why Radakovich wants athlete compensation uncapped.
Dellenger stated that many college officials believe enforcement of the $20.5 million cap for all athletes at each school is difficult to enforce, per Radakovich. Schools are strategizing how to exceed the cap. Radakovich believes that the act of restricting earnings, even within the House's settlement, is not a way forward.
"The idea of capping compensation has never worked in this industry...The model we have right now is really difficult to enforce. People who feel like they want to invest should have the ability to invest...Over time, if we have this kind of open system, economics will bring things back to a more normal circumstance...This model would allow this to be fair to those who want to invest and allow the market to settle. It will settle over time. It always has."Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich
Radakovich continued and estimated uncapped football rosters could reach $35-$40 million dollars and in a couple of years, $50 million. “We’ve never been successful to a large extent at legislating competitive equity," per Radakovich.
“Over time, if we have this kind of open system, economics will bring things back to a more normal circumstance...This model would allow this to be fair to those who want to invest and allow the market to settle. It will settle over time. It always has,” said Radakovich.
Dellenger also quoted Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork. Bjork said college sports cannot continue to "govern the money." Dellenger asked wouldn't an uncapped marketmean the wealthiest programs outspend the others?
Miami AD Dan Radakovich makes a compelling case. Why cap athlete compensation when it's impossible to enforce? The current $20.5M limit is being circumvented. Let the market settle naturally instead of driving deals underground. #NIL https://t.co/njGObS26NR
— Darren Heitner (@heitner) January 17, 2026
Radakovich responded, “Aren’t they now?...We’ve never been successful to a large extent at legislating competitive equity. Texas Tech is the perfect example. The Red Raiders were never consistently an elite program before NIL. CBS Sports reported Texas Tech spent $70 million in NILin 2025.
Part of the problem is the money athletes are receiving from third-party deals that are exempt from the cap. Bjork called it a soft cap. Part of the problem is that the house settlement cannot keep up with the current market. The market should continue to evolve rapidly.
Dellenger closed his article by quoting Radakovich, stating, “Everyone is looking to get an edge on everyone else as this industry has done forever...They are going to spend X, so we are going to spend 2X.”