Miami athletic director Dan Radakovich has become the most prominent voice yet to call for an uncapped market in college athlete compensation. He argues the current system is unenforceable and simply drives money underground.
In a wide-ranging interview with Yahoo Sports' Ross Dellenger, Radakovich said football rosters alone could reach $35 million to $40 million without a spending limit — and climb toward $50 million in the coming years. His argument was clear that the richest programs already dominate, and attempts to legislate equity have never truly worked.
“The idea of capping compensation has never worked in this industry,” Radakovich said. “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.”
The comments carry added weight given Miami’s history in the athlete-compensation era. The Hurricanes have been under scrutiny for years due to former booster Nevin Shapiro’s criminal case to recent NCAA investigations involving booster John Ruiz, and a lawsuit last year from Wisconsin alleging tampering tied to a revenue-share agreement. Radakovich suggested the solution may be structural rather than regulatory.
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“If we have this kind of open system, economics will bring things back to a more normal circumstance,” he said. “The market will settle. It always has.”
Radakovich is no longer alone either. Ross Bjork of Ohio State said this week that college sports “cannot govern the money any longer,” warning that hard limits create enforcement nightmares through boosters and collectives. Pete Bevacqua of Notre Dame was even more direct last month, saying, “I think the cap is too low.”
Some critics argue removing limits would only widen the gap between power conferences such as the SEC and Big Ten and smaller programs already struggling to keep pace. Supporters say that those gaps exist regardless, and that artificial limits incentivize secretive third-party deals that undermine transparency.
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Radakovich’s response to concerns about competitive balance was spot on.
“Aren’t they (dominating) now?” He said.
The debate comes amid growing legal and logistical strain following the NCAA’s landmark House settlement, which established a $20.5 million annual revenue-sharing cap per school. Administrators say the market has already outpaced that figure, leading to creative and often controversial workarounds.
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From the NCAA convention this week, Charlie Baker urged restraint as the system evolves.“This is a dramatic departure from the status quo,” Baker said. “Some of the things that are messy actually create clarity.”
For now, the industry remains in flux. And as Radakovich sees it, the arms race is simply becoming more honest.
“Everyone is looking for an edge,” he said. “They are going to spend X, so we are going to spend 2X.”
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