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Nick Saban and Drizzy Drake

October 03, 2023

Hey there,

NIL News. Everywhere! That’s right, we’ve got all the latest stories in Name, Image, and Likeness right here. We’re packed out with news today — Saban’s got thoughts on NIL recruiting, and somehow Drake is getting involved in NIL too? Huh? Don’t worry, you’ll figure it out soon enough, just keep scrolling.

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

Saban Weighs In

There’s been a lot of talk in the NIL world about recruits asking for money to take campus visits. It started with comments made by Ohio State’s Athletic Director on Capitol Hill; Penn State coach James Franklin spoke up next. Well, now the Godfather of college football, Nick Saban, has weighed in.

“Name, image, and likeness is not really name, image, and likeness,” the Alabama coach said, “I think we all understand what it’s become, and what we allowed it to become.”

While Saban himself hasn’t had any recruits mention campus visit payments to him, he’s worried about the future of the sport. “Do I think it would be judicious to have some guardrails on some things? I think you can figure that one out just as well as anybody else.” (More)

Bama’s Got Bags

6’10 center Aiden Sherrell had just about every school in the country knocking on his door to lace up – that’s the sort of attention you get when you’re a top 25 player according to ESPN. Hype can turn into cash in the age of NIL though, and it’s absolutely affecting how recruits make their commitments.

“All the teams in his final list were strong in NIL,” Aiden’s brother Austin explained, “Alabama has shown growth in NIL. The decision was not solely on NIL. [It was] the fit and opportunity.” (More)

Been there, Odunze that

“If you play good, they pay good.” The adage has been true for decades, and NIL hasn’t changed that one bit. Just ask Rome Odunze, Washington’s star wideout that’s been raking in deals after his hot start this season.

He recently signed a few local deals, not to mention a national one with Panini trading cards. Odunze’s up to an almost $800k NIL valuation on the season, which puts him right at the sixth most valuable receiver in the entire country. It’s not all about big brands with NIL (More)

Ohio State’s new NIL Approach

As NIL expands, schools themselves expand their efforts to keep up in the complicated space. Some schools hire NIL gurus or czars that have extensive business experience to run their operations. Ohio State’s basketball program is taking a different approach to NIL however, and it starts with Terence Dials.

Dials is a former Buckeye hooper himself, but he doesn’t have any business experience, setting him apart from many other NIL operation heads. “In a nutshell, my job here is mentorship,” he explained, “Basically teaching them how to be professionals off the court.”

Situating Dials’ role within “mentorship” completely reframes the NIL conversation – instead of trying to acquire as much NIL money as possible, Dials wants to set the players themselves up mentally first and foremost. (More)

Drake Certified

If you know anything about the rapper Drake, you probably know he’s a massive college hoops fan. His Kentucky fandom became borderline ridiculous at times, to the point where he was getting up shots during warmups alongside Devin Booker:

Well he may have found a newer, more sensible outlet to express his fandom. His fashion company OVO announced a collaboration with a few high profile NCAA programs, including his beloved Kentucky. With the visibility potential of NIL, OVO will likely hone in on a few athletes to strike deals with at some point this year. For now though, it’s just coach Cal. (More)

KnightFest

Rutgers’ NIL collectives are finding creative ways to support their squad, starting with something they’re calling “KnightFest.” The event is basically the NBA’s All-Star weekend festivities rolled up into one night – we’re talking a three-point contest, skills challenge, and even autograph sessions.

The event, which is set to kick off during Rutgers’ homecoming weekend, will provide NIL opportunities to every player on the basketball team. The Knight Society collective head Geo Baker described how in the current age, NIL is “part of recruiting and being a basketball coach… So if NIL is part of that recipe, [Head Coach Pikiell] is going to make those adjustments.” (More)

Pound-for-Pound Powerhouse

Providence College only enrolls a bit less than 5,000 students each year, but they’re looking to play with the big dogs when it comes to NIL recruitment. Despite their size, the Friars have always been a bit of a basketball powerhouse – they’re nationally competitive, and have even sent out some top NBA draft picks in recent years. With NIL, staying on top has never been more expensive.

But the Friar Family Collective is doing just fine in that department. According to PC’s Athletic Director, the NIL money going to men’s basketball will exceed $1 million this year. As questions swirl about big programs pricing smaller ones out, it seems like Providence has forged an effective NIL funding base for themselves. (More)

Sacking Cancer

Underwear brand Saxx is employing six of the nation’s best pass-rushers to help fight testicular cancer. They just signed an NIL deal that forms the “All Saxx Conference” – for every sack that a player in this “conference” gets, Saxx is donating $1,000 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation.  

That may end up being a pretty penny, too. The grouping has already racked up a ton of sacks this season, which has amounted to over $10,000 in donations thus far. If these guys can keep bringing the pressure, that total could get well into the $40,000 range. (more)

Tallen Edwards

For Tallen Edwards, greatness has always been expected. She was the #3 softball prospect in the country, so when she played a vital role in getting Oklahoma State to the College World Series as a freshman last year, it was business as usual.

What’s new to her, however, is the NIL landscape. With attention comes endorsement deals, and Edwards is trying to make the most of those opportunities by raising awareness for alopecia, an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.

“I’m trying to get NILs with companies that do temporary tattooed eyebrows and wigs,” she said, “I’m just trying to get myself out there in that world so I can bring it to someone else and hopefully help them out with whatever they’re experiencing.” (More)

♦️ Ambition League launches NIL platform for female athletes

♦️ Texas Tech’s Bubba Club partners with licensing company for NIL

♦️ Kansas State’s Jerome Tang talks NIL

♦️ Southern Illinois starts NIL Collective

♦️ Kansas center Hunter Dickinson signs with Adidas

Todays Poll Question:

What effect will NIL have on recruiting for smaller schools?

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Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Should student-athletes be regarded as employees from a legal standpoint?

  • Yes - 77%

  • No - 23%

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“If you play good, they pay good.”