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Books will be written about the dawn of the NIL era in college sports. If authors are smart, they’ll write about Armando Bacot.

Bacot, North Carolina’s rebound-machine center, announced yesterday he is returning to school for a fifth year instead of heading to the NBA. On the surface, it’s a minor shock — Bacot is 23, with experience in the national title game and little left to prove at this level. What gives?

It’s a different world now for guys like Bacot, on multiple levels:

Traditional centers like Bacot don’t hold much value in the NBA. At 6-10, he could be a valuable bench piece as a rebounder, but it’s hard to see how his game fully translates in its current form. In Sam Vecenie’s most recent mock draft, Bacot goes undrafted.

Bacot, a business major, is already raking in the NIL dough — upwards of $500,000 last year alone, and he could hit seven figures next season. He’ll likely make more money next year staying in school than honing his game as a professional overseas. He’s even filmed a cameo on the hit Netflix show “Outer Banks.” I’d stay, too.

CJ Moore and Eamonn Brennan wrote a fantastic story last summer, detailing the new life for guys like Bacot, Gonzaga’s Drew Timme and even Purdue’s Zach Edey as centers relatively unwanted by the NBA but beloved by local NIL boosters. It’s worth a fresh read in light of the Bacot news.

Before NIL, Bacot would’ve left last offseason and hoped to surprise scouts before the draft. It would’ve been a hard road. Life is different now.