Andrew Brandt, former vice president of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, started as a consultant for the University of Louisville Athletic Association (ULAA) in January to help U of L navigate the upcoming era of college sports.
The House vs. NCAA settlement, finally approved by Judge Claudia Wilken on Friday, established a revenue-sharing system whereby schools can directly pay their athletes starting July 1 with a $20.5 million cap per institution. Brandt is charged with helping the Cards negotiate contracts and handle “free agency every year” via the transfer portal. He spoke with The Courier Journal about his new role.
“I’ve really enjoyed it. He’s really got a good team,” Brandt said of working with Louisville athletics director Josh Heird and his department. “I think I told Josh at the beginning, ‘Listen, I’m new with this too. I just have to be up front. You’re not hiring an experienced college sports consultant.’ He understood, and it’s really been a nice partnership so far.”
Brandt said Heird reached out to him in November after sitting in on ACC and general counsel meetings diving into the legal machinations ahead with the House settlement and the implementation of revenue sharing in college sports. They were colleagues at Villanova from 2016-19 (Brandt working as director of the Moorad Center for Sports Law; Heird holding a couple administrative positions in the athletics department) and bonded over their love of running.
Various schools had previously approached Brandt to talk about general manager positions, considering his NFL background. He worked as vice president of the Green Bay Packers from 1999-2008. In that role Brandt negotiated player contracts, managed the salary cap and handled all football business operations.
But a GM job didn’t interest him. He didn’t want to leave Villanova. Or abandon any of his other projects, like the Sunday Seven newsletter, Business of Sports podcast and his Sports Illustrated column. So a consulting gig with Louisville sounded like the perfect way to marry Brandt’s desire to be involved with college sports and maintain his other responsibilities.
“What (appealed) to me was a way to keep my involvement in sports and advising college sports,” Brandt said.
He and Heird came up with the title “Consultant to the University of Louisville Athletic Department.” They officially agreed to a deal in January.
Details on Andrew Brandt’s consulting contract with Louisville
Have been consulting and advising @GoCards and @joshheird since January.
Visionary and well-positioned in this transformational time in college sports. https://t.co/F3Io4dpPRP
— Andrew Brandt (@AndrewBrandt) May 22, 2025
Brandt’s current contract with U of L runs from Jan. 1 through Dec. 31, according to a document obtained by The Courier Journal. The deal can be renewed at the discretion of both parties but must never exceed 12 months at a time.
He will be paid a $150,000 fee for his services distributed in monthly payments of $12,500. Brandt can also be paid up to $15,000 for travel expenses. His compensation will max out at $165,000, and he agreed to indemnify the ULAA against any “costs, liability, expenses (including reasonable attorney fees), damages, and lawsuits whatsoever arising from” his performance.
Brandt’s role is that of a consultant, not an employee of the university or athletics department. His job is described in the agreement as “providing expert guidance on contracts and contract negotiations involving student athletes.”
The section of the contract describing the services Brand is to provide reads as follows:
“Andrew will assist us (the ULAA) in negotiating contracts where student-athletes are paid directly by institutions, a significant change expected to take effect on July 1, pending the settlement approval of the House vs NCAA court case. Given the rapid pace of developments in revenue-sharing models and the transfer portal, his guidance will also support our efforts to address immediate concerns with current and potential transfer students engaging in these discussions.”
How are the Cardinals preparing for July 1? What will revenue-sharing contracts look like?
At Villanova, Brandt has advised athletes on selecting agents, the business of sports and career options in a mentorship capacity rather than working directly with the athletics department. But before that, he helped the Green Bay Packers and Philadelphia Eagles negotiate contracts.
From his perspective, college sports gain a closer resemblance to professional ranks with each passing day.
“Everything we’re talking about now have been staples of pro sports for 30 years,” Brandt said. “Salary cap, contract negotiations, player rights versus team rights, player discipline, contract clauses about morals, about redshirts, termination. All these kind of things have been staples of what I’ve done in the past.”
But there are some ways in which college athletes have it better than the pros. The main difference: free agency.
In the NFL, players have to wait three, four or more years to become a restricted or unrestricted free agent. In college sports, there’s free agency every year with the transfer portal (or twice a year for football with its December and April windows).
With that in mind, how do the revenue-sharing contracts Brandt’s helping draw up at Louisville differ from those he negotiated in the NFL?
“They (pro athletes) are under contract for a series of years based on what we negotiate,” Brandt said. “There’s no opportunity to get out of the contract after one year, unless, of course, it’s a one-year deal. You have more rules and regulations, you have more restrictions, you have more things to reference in a collective bargaining agreement about benefits, about protections and trades, all those kinds of things.
“We’re not there yet in college sports. But we are there in terms of free agency.”
Brandt said learning about free agency in college sports has been a “striking experience.” As a lawyer, though, he understands. The argument lawyers have made and judges have agreed to basically comes down to: If a music or engineering major can transfer every year, why can’t a college athlete?
Sure, it can be frustrating for coaches and fans to see players switch teams and have to assemble entire rosters from scratch every season. But until Congress passes some legislation regulating the process or college sports reaches a collective bargaining agreement, that’s just the way things are.
Louisville’s templates for revenue sharing contracts are standard for all athletes, though some language differs by sport. When asked whether they’ll include performance incentives like bonuses for winning conference player of the year or averaging certain stats, Brandt said these agreements primarily cover name, image and likeness rights and compensation, but they’re starting to address performance and non-performance as well.
While the House settlement’s approval brings some clarity to those in charge of running college sports, there’s still a lot they’ll figure out — just like they had to in the NIL era. Brandt and Louisville will figure it out together.
Reach college sports enterprise reporter Payton Titus at pt****@*****tt.com, and follow her on X @petitus25.
This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: University of Louisville athlete pay news: House settlement approval
