FERNANDINA BEACH, Fla. – After more than three hours, Graham Neff finally walked out of the Talbot C ballroom at The Ritz-Carlton with the rest of the ACC’s athletic directors at approximately 6:15 Monday night.

It marked the first day of the conference’s annual spring meetings in northern Florida, which were scheduled to end at 6 p.m. But there was a lot to talk about, particularly when it comes to a landscape in college athletics that’s changing as rapidly as it seemingly ever has.

“We went over time just because we’re talking on … you talk rabbit trails of where things could go and what does that look like?” Clemson’s first-year athletic director told The Clemson Insider shortly before heading to dinner.

Neff’s guess is as good as anybody’s.

“It couldn’t be a more uncertain time,” Neff said.

The transfer portal continues to be a hot-button topic in college athletics, but perhaps none is more pressing than name, image and likeness opportunities for student-athletes – and how they’re governed. Neff said it was a “big one” among the ACC’s 15 athletic directors during their talks Monday.

In the midst of those discussions, the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors announced new NIL guidelines that make it illegal for boosters, which could include NIL collectives that have popped up at schools nationwide, to provide extra benefits to recruits or current student-athletes that are considering transferring.

But can college sports’ governing body actually enforce that legislation? Or would doing that violate individual state’s NIL legislation and antitrust laws, thus potentially forcing lawsuits?

“There are so many different avenues that college athletics could take, and certainly football continues to be a big driver,” Neff said. “There’s a lot of pay-for-play conversation. There’s a lot of NCAA governance conversation. Certainly changes in Indianapolis and the Transformation Committee that’s happening. So I don’t know. I’m just kind of spitballing to all the off-ramps to where it’s headed. I don’t know. I truly don’t.”

Firm answers are still likely far off, but Neff believes Clemson is adequately prepared to remain competitive regardless of what those may be.

“The success that we’ve had over the years and certainly with the football success that we’ve seen, our brand and therefore our attraction and the investment from our people and IPTAY (athletics fundraising) and the ability fo fill those resources, it positions us well.

“That’s my focus, to make sure that we have continued brand build and resources to be able to keep moving at a very quick pace from a speed standpoint to be able to take whatever off ramp that shows itself for us.”

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