When James Franklin was dismissed from Penn State, one of the names who was rumored to take his seat was Jeff Brohm. While Brohm, being a Louisville loyalist, never took his seat, Franklin sure had eyes on one of Louisville’s commits. In fact, when James Franklin moved to Virginia Tech, he went hard for the 6-foot-1, 235-pound workhorse and had a 48.6% chance (per On3). But the RB stayed back. As far as all the NIL money he got from Louisville, he isn’t lavishly spending on a luxury car or a flashy watch, but on the person who was always by his side.

Louisville’s 3-star true freshman, Lekhy Thompkins, posted a picture on X of his mother with a white Chevrolet Tahoe parked in the background. “Happy late Valentine’s Day. I love you❤️❤️,” wrote Thompkins on February 21. And honestly, the post carries weight because his mom has been fighting for him.

Just last year, Pitts went public after an incident following practice at his previous school, saying how the situation was not handled appropriately. She decided it was best to transfer for her son. When Thompkins wanted a hardship waiver from TSSAA to avoid sitting out a full year, the Board of Control denied it. This meant if he wanted to play his senior year, the family would need a legitimate move at least 20 miles away to qualify from elsewhere. But instead of letting the system stall his progression, Pitts supported his move to IMG Academy, which then ultimately paved his road to the ACC.

That path also led him into one of college football’s more aggressive NIL environments. Ever since Louisville switched conferences from the Big East and joined the ACC in 2016, the program has become a rising force in college football. It is the 23rd most powerful program in NIL spending. In the 2026 fiscal year, the Cardinals have reportedly approved a $167.39 million budget, allocating $20.5 million to pay their athletes.

It’s hard to say what the Jackson, Tennessee native got from Jeff Brohm’s camp. But by the looks of his $80,000 purchase, he seems to be earning a decent 6-figure amount.  A report by The Athletic also highlighted that top RBs in the country get an average package of $900,000 while lower-demand RBs can still take home at least $200,000 per year. Since this would be Thompkins’ first season, he can expect an upgrade in pay as he puts in elite performances for Brohm.

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“Lekhy’s a strong running back,” Jeff Brohm said about his freshman RB. “He’s physical. He gives us a different element. I just think what Lekhy gives us, he’s played a lot of football. He’s big, he’s strong. He gives us something different than we have on our roster right now. He runs physical. And He will definitely be a bag that looks more like Michael Bush and Eric Shelton. I think Lekhy can do a great job for us.”

The NIL and revenue-sharing era is ushering in heartfelt stories of transformation like Lekhy Thompkins

While apprehensions around the NIL money will never go away, college players are making use of it in a transformational way. Former Maryland DB Jalen Huskey, for instance, didn’t purchase a high-end car or spent in on a glossy watch. Instead, he used that money to pay his sister’s college tuition. After that, he put the money to good use and paid for an apartment and finally bought a used car.

“I did help my sister with college tuition this past summer,” Jalen Huskey said. “If I’m in my position and I can give back to my family, that’s 100 percent something I want to do.” Texas Tech’s former QB Behren Morton got over $1 million per year in NIL pay with the Red Raiders. He chose to invest that money for his family and bought 150 acres of land near Cross Plains, Texas.

“It’s 30 minutes from my parents’ house,” Morton said. “It has some fishing tanks on it, little elevation change, so a lot of deer, pigs, varsomints, ducks, everything.” Former Baylor WR Josh Cameron did the same and helped lift some financial burden off his family using his NIL money. Josh Cameron called it “the best NIL purchase for sure.”

College Football is ripe with examples of how NIL money has transformed not just players’ lives but also those of their families, too. What Thompkins or Huskey or Morton did is evidence of that, and that’s exactly why the NIL era came. Of course, every good thing has its flipside. But when heartfelt stories like Thompkins’ come to light, even those critics would feel an ounce of sympathy for the change NIL has brought.