Student-athletes across the U.S. are now participating in National Signing Day, when some top high school recruits will officially commit to play for an institution in exchange for six- or seven-figure signing bonuses. That’s on top of name, image and likeness (NIL) contracts student-athletes can sign that allow them to monetize their personal brands. There’s a lot of money on the table with signing bonuses, NIL contracts and the recent changes in revenue-sharing. But it should not just be about the money. College student-athlete mental health also needs to be prioritized.

Although the money can be life-changing, it raises the stakes of college sports considerably, leaving athletes with increased pressure to perform, even as they work to maintain their academic eligibility.

The stress of maximizing financial returns from their athletic abilities while navigating the recent changes in college athletics can harm college student-athlete mental health, a population that has experienced increasing mental health issues for decades, with the rates of student-athlete suicides doubling over the last 20 years.

Despite changes at the NCAA, conferenceand institutional levels to improve access to, education about and training for mental health services, they remain insufficient to meet the growing needs of Division I athletes. Less than 26 percent of athletic departments have any mental health practitioners on staff, and those that do have only one or two providers — at schools that serve hundreds of athletes.

That’s not good news for student-athletes facing anxiety after signing the complicated NIL contracts that also limit their control over their personal brands. This is on top of the anxiety, rejection and isolation many athletes experience as they pursue better opportunities through the transfer portal. The portal system was created by the NCAA to make the transfer process easier, but to enter it, athletes must forfeit their scholarships with no guarantee of an offer from another school.

Even before the recent changes in college sports, college student-athlete mental health was at greater risk than that of other students. In addition to the stressors of academic life, student-athletes face sport-related factors such as injuries, poor performance, overtraining and maintaining eligibility.

Read the full article about college student-athlete mental health by Debbie Hogan at The Hechinger Report.