UAB Football Team Makes History, Joins Players Association To Fight For Future Collegiate Revenue Sharing

The UAB football program is preparing for what life may look like in a world with revenue-sharing in college athletics.  

Following a meeting with Athletes.org this spring, the entire UAB football roster voted to join a player's association that will help them get a piece of the pie, when that time comes. According to a report from ESPN, UAB is the first Division 1 program to make the move. 

By deciding to join Athletes.org, it gives the entire UAB roster an opportunity to have an organization represent them when it comes to how much money they will make down the road via television deals and licensing of their name, image and likeness. 

After calling his players in for a team meeting, head coach Trent Dilfer made it clear to the players that changes are coming to the sport, and that they need to be out in front of the changes when it comes to players making money. 

"You guys follow the conversation that's happening around college football," Trent Dilfer told his team during a meeting. "People are making a lot of money, billions of dollars. How much do you get? The actual money that's negotiated for you to play on TV, you are getting none of it. So who's getting it? Conference, and institutions. I'm one of the few people who think you deserve some of that. 

"The movement that's gonna happen is that power is going to go from institutions and conferences, and shred with players. So when you're in the NFL, you're part of a union. So you have people fighting on your behalf, you have help. Right now, you have no help. Right now, you are a lone ranger, it's just you and your parents. Athletes.org is setup to be your help."

We have seen a glimpse of what is coming for college athletes across the country. Whether that is the injunction that granted collectives to have negotiations with players when it comes to NIL, before they enroll at a particular school. It's not a secret that the NCAA and members know that we are headed towards more of an NFL model, compared to where we are now in the sport. 

A lot of this has changed because of the power that conferences like the SEC and Big Ten have gained over the years. While conference realignment has been one of the main talking points for the past decade, it all came to a head this past season, with the Big Ten adding four teams, while the Big 12 took advantage of a dying Pac-12, and scooped up a number of schools, like Colorado. 

What was already in place were the television contracts, which have risen to the billion dollar range for the top conferences in the country. There is also the chance that the ACC unravels, which would lead to further realignment, and most likely additional funds for certain conferences. But, it's the college football playoff that is seeing the biggest uptick in revenue, signing a $7.8 billion deal with ESPN for the rights to broadcast the playoffs until 2031. 

It certainly doesn't matter that UAB is a team that is part of the Group of Five conferences, who will get an automatic spot in the new playoff format. They see this as an opportunity to at least be out in front of the line when it comes to however much revenue is available to teams in spots like them. 

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Head coach Trent Dilfer of the UAB Blazers watches the game against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

Future Of Revenue Sharing Is Coming To A Head, UAB QB Makes His Point

As lawsuits against the NCAA are either pending or ongoing, a lot of these talks will be centered around the House v. NCAA antitrust case, that will be argued around players deserving a cut of the television deals being agreed upon around college athletics. 

UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno told ESPN that these decisions are being made behind their backs, and that they feel cheated out of the revenue already being made. 

"In a way, we've been cheated out of money, and decisions are being made behind our back," Jacob Zeno told ESPN. "It's not really fair because we do so much for the sport, for the school and the conference. We should at least deserve to know what's going on and what decisions are being made."

Being represented by one company makes sense, though we still have a ways to go. Rather than each player having to negotiate their own type of deal when it comes to revenue sharing, having a company like Athletes.org will be the middle-man looking out for each player on the roster. But while this is a monumental situation for the players, questions about where this goes from here are still left unanswered. 

ANNAPOLIS, MARYLAND - NOVEMBER 11: Jacob Zeno #4 of the UAB Blazers throws a pass against the Navy Midshipmen at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium on November 11, 2023 in Annapolis, Maryland. (Photo by G Fiume/Getty Images)

A lot of players around college athletics are already represented by collectives, who could handle negotiations for student-athletes for their likeness. For a company like Athletes.org, the goal seems to be centered around team negotiations, rather than one-on-one talks, which will be a tall task regarding getting high-profile players to join in on the fray with their teammates. 

As to why this was the right time to bring this opportunity to his team, head coach Trent Dilfer told ESPN he was ready to use his NFL background as a lightning rod to help his current and future players. 

"They're going to have a seat at the table. I wanted to make sure I helped pour gasoline on something that is going to happen no matter what. I might as well use my influence to help it happen faster on behalf of our players."