The college football world changed with the introduction of the NCAA’s new name, image and likeness rules earlier this year. Student-athletes are now able to profit from their popularity and the attention they garner by signing brand deals.

TCU hosted an NIL event on Wednesday night, during which Horned Frogs head coach Gary Patterson discussed how these new rules are even impacting recruiting as they try to convince players to come to their program.

“In taxes, do you do short form or do you do deductions? I can promise you there’s nobody in this room that does the short form,” Patterson said, per Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “That’s what I’m talking about in recruiting. Everybody lives in the gray area. Everybody in this room lives in the gray area. The bottom line to it is we’re going to have to live in the gray area if we want to keep up.”

TCU athletic director Jeremiah Donati expanded on that, as he commented on how Patterson has had to change his style a bit when talking to potential future Horned Frogs players, as well as the boosters who are important to the program.

“You’ve got to have a solid NIL plan in place on campus and you also have to be able to show that your athletes are being supported from the local community,” Donati said, per Davison. “That’s just the stone cold hard truth of big time college athletics now.

“Something that was prohibited is now encouraged. It’s a seismic change for everyone in our business. Gary had to reinforce to people that it’s time to understand that. I’ve had so many folks who want to get involved and be supportive but just don’t quite know how it works.”

And Patterson is concerned it could lead to him losing out on recruits — as well as players who have already come to his school — to other big programs.

“There’s five SEC schools calling him and telling him, ‘Here’s what we’ll give you if you come here and not stay at TCU,’” Patterson said, per Davison. “At the end of the day, that’s just real life. If we don’t do anything about it, within a year we lose him.

“The rules have changed. There is no wrong anymore.”

There’s likely going to be plenty more of this in years to come, as NIL deals appear to be here to stay. And as programs learn how to navigate and use them to their advantage, it may become an even bigger aspect of recruiting than it already is.