The discussion about paying college athletes is about to get way more interesting if FanAngel is able to wiggle its conniving business plan through the NCAA’s previously-unforeseen loophole.

FanAngel, a crowd-funding site, will allow fans to designate funds toward specific college athletes, essentially promising compensation to prevent stars from entering the NFL draft early.

The NCAA is sure to raise a stink, but if FanAngel can withstand the incoming fire and both remain legal and prove to players and schools they will not face any sort of sanctions for accepting funds, this will become a game-changer.

Can you imagine Georgia fans being able to pay Todd Gurley out of their own pockets to get him to return to Athens for his senior season in 2015? And how much money would that require?

According to ESPN, FanAngel takes a nine percent fee off the top (can you imagine the size of those commissions?), then places the remaining funds into an escrow. When the designated athlete completes his NCAA eligibility, 80 percent of the remaining money goes to the athlete, 10 percent to that athlete’s teammates and 10 percent to charity and scholarship funds.

“If you wanted Marcus Mariota to stay in school for his senior year, you could give $20,” Shawn Fojtik told ESPN, explaining he dreamed up the site after finding out there wasn’t a way for Bears fans to give Brian Urlacher the money he wanted to play a final season in Chicago.

The NCAA, anticipating this problem, in November issued guidance on crowd-funding for athletes, disallowing them from promoting themselves by using athletes’ names and claiming that setting aside money into an escrow account would equate to that athlete accepting direct funds.

But Fojtik said his site will not promote itself using athlete’s names, will not communicate with anyone associated with those athletes and will not make his company available if the athletes try to reach out to them. He’s met with the NCAA and feels that FanAngel will not compromise an athlete’s eligibility or cause a school to endure NCAA punishment.

The website already includes a disclaimer to “NCAA employees, college employees under NCAA eligibility and NCAA affiliates subject to NCAA rules,” warning such people against using FanAngel.

“We have a lot in common with (the NCAA),” Fojtik said, according to ESPN. “We want the same thing as them — for kids to stay in school, to end the one-and-dones or the ‘two-and-throughs.’ But we aren’t a constituent of theirs, so we’re not subject to their rules.”

Like most crowd-funding sites, anyone — fans, boosters and agents — could donate, publicly or anonymously, to keep a player at a school.

The site is in its beta version currently, but as of 9:45 p.m. ET, six fans already have pledged $85.50 to Michigan basketball player Caris LeVert to “stay and play.” (Fundraisers for football players aren’t currently available, but users can “fan” specific teams and players.)

According to CBS Sports, the NCAA sent cease-and-desist letter last fall to FanPay, a similar crowd-funding website. FanPay solicited $100 for Alabama OT Arie Koundjio to stay in school, according to its website.

FanAngel already seems to be generating more buzz — part of the benefit of having ESPN feature your story — so it will be interesting to see if the dollar amounts get high enough to make it a viable venture, and whether athletes will be able to accept funds without damaging their university.

There are a few SEC fans who would love to start a campaign to pay for — say — Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller to transfer to their school this fall, for a price.

How long can the NCAA hold this money-lined dam before it bursts?