Bo Nickal just dropped some truth bombs about college wrestling and the wild NIL era — and honestly, the timing couldn’t be better. While today’s athletes are swimming in endorsement cash, Bo’s out here reminding everyone what it was like before the money started flowing. Spoiler: It was brutal, but kind of legendary.

On March 4th, Bo Nickal joined FloWrestling Radio Live Podcast. When asked if he wished to have gone to college in the NIL era? he said: “I mean it would been nice to get a big fat check. I wouldn’t — I wouldn’t complain about that. But at the same time I think that, you know, I can’t really — you know, I can’t control it obviously. And I’m grateful for the era that I was able to come up in college wrestling because, you know, 2014 to 2019, we just look at the storylines, look at how incredible the sport was, how many amazing competitors there were. You know, it was really an unbelievable time in wrestling and so many magical moments that just in my mind, it’ll be very hard to top them. So, you know, I’m very grateful and appreciative of that.”

For anyone too young to remember, Bo Nical’s Penn State run that began in 2014 was the blueprint for dominance. The man won three NCAA titles, racked up four All-American honors, snatched a Dan Hodge Trophy, and even grabbed a U23 World Championship. In short, Bo didn’t just wrestle — he built a legacy. And he did it all without a single NIL dollar in sight.

Fast forward to now, and NIL deals have flipped college sports on their head. From football stars like Arch Manning ($6.5M NIL valuation) to gymnasts like Livvy Dunne ($4.2M NIL valuation), athletes are cashing in big time. Wrestling’s no different — just look at AJ Ferrari and his Toyota Tacoma deal. And while Bo may not want to trade his NCAA days for the big bags, there was a time when he wasn’t down with how the NCAA was treating its athletes.

Bo Nickal recalls his “crazy” collegiate days 

Let’s be real, NIL isn’t just a ‘cool perk’ anymore. It’s the game-changer. Athletes aren’t just training and competing; they’re launching personal brands, signing endorsement deals, and making stacks before they ever turn pro. For wrestlers, who traditionally didn’t see a dime in college, it’s a whole new world.

The NIL era officially kicked off in 2021 when the NCAA finally let athletes profit from their own name, image, and likeness — after years of controversy and lawsuits. By 2024, the NCAA agreed to pay nearly $2.8 billion in damages to current and former athletes who lost out financially under the old rules — yeah, it’s that serious.

But Bo Nickal’s college days were long gone by then, and he recalled how he thought his junior and senior days were “basically slavery” considering he didn’t have the right to make and sell t-shirts with his own name on them where stores were out there making a fat buck off the same. He found it “crazy” that he was selling out the Bryce Jordan Center, and yet was getting peanuts for it. 

That begs the question: What kind of deals would Bo Nickal have landed if he had NIL rights back in the day? What do you think? Let us know in the comments.