College athletes need structured financial planning far earlier than the professional contract stage, according to a recent opinion piece by a member of the J.P. Morgan Athlete Center of Excellence. The commentary, published by Fortune, argues that the surge in athlete earnings during school years has made early money management a practical necessity rather than a future concern.
The author points to figures from the College Sports Commission, which reports that student-athletes received about $1.77 billion in revenue-sharing pay in the 2025-26 academic year. Name, image and likeness deals, or NIL agreements, have accelerated how much athletes earn while still enrolled, and the piece says that income can arrive quickly and unevenly across a season.
The commentary describes a recurring problem: athletes budget their NIL income as if it were steady, only to find themselves short of cash when tax obligations come due. Because that income often arrives in lump sums or through multiple deals, the timing of payments and withholding can catch young earners off guard.
The author also cites a 2022 NCAA well-being study, which found strong demand among student-athletes for financial and tax resources. The piece suggests that this demand has not been matched by the guidance available to them, and it proposes introducing basic financial literacy into high school curricula so that young athletes arrive at college with foundational knowledge already in place.
Beyond early education, the commentary argues that financial guidance should evolve as athletes move through different career stages, from high school recruiting to college, and then to professional contracts. It notes that athletes often earn a large share of their lifetime income over a comparatively short span, which makes sustained planning especially important.
The piece describes the role of a financial advisor who can coordinate with other professionals in an athlete's circle, typically an agent, an attorney and an accountant. Such coordination, the author suggests, helps ensure that decisions about deals, taxes and savings are made with a complete picture rather than in isolation.
The commentary also mentions that J.P. Morgan has created an Athlete Council to hear directly from athletes about their concerns. The author is clear that the views expressed are personal and do not represent the positions of Fortune, and the piece carries firm disclaimers that it does not constitute tax or legal advice.