Hey there,

This week was pretty hectic in the NIL world, which means we’ve got a packed edition for you.

Some questions, before we get started: How will NIL affect the December transfer portal? Which state did an international soccer club decide to park their NIL investments in? And what the hell is Vanderbilt doing to keep up in the SEC? All this, and more, straight ahead.

One last thing. If you want to get in contact with us, we’d love to hear from you. Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected] with any thoughts or suggestions.

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Tempering Transfer Expectations

The transfer portal opens up again December 4^th, and everyone’s still trying to figure out how to navigate it in the age of NIL. After last year’s portal mayhem, most athletic departments still have little idea what to expect during the transfer window; nevertheless, there seems to be an underlying consensus (or perhaps hope) that the NIL market may level out a bit.

“I don’t expect the cash pool to be as large” one anonymous collective leader said, which seems like a reasonable guess. Tons of players enter the portal, but not many Power 5 starters are looking for a change of scenery.

As a result, last year’s portal showed an inconsistent hit rate on talent. That lack of certainty on their investment could cool a school’s efforts in pursuing transfers this time around. (More)

Fighting Tragedy with NIL

Natalie Beaudoin is set to play basketball at the University of Vermont next year, but that she couldn’t wait that long to make a difference. When her hometown of Lewiston suffered a tragic mass shooting last month, she immediately hopped on the phone with her agent to figure out ways to help.

The result: She sold an NIL shirt, with all of the proceeds going directly to the families of the victims.

“I knew I wouldn’t be able to fix anything that happened, but I definitely knew that I wanted to help,” Beaudoin said at her national signing ceremony, “I love living in Lewiston, and I feel like we are we really are just one big community and I wanted to be able to give back to that.” (More)

Big Cities, Big Business

In a press conference, Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy described how schools in big cities actually have an NIL recruiting advantage. His reasoning is two-fold.

For one, there’s simply more capital to be spent in big cities – even if you didn’t attend a school like, say, SMU, it’s reasonable for any wealthy Dallasite to take a liking to the Mustangs and contribute to their NIL efforts.

The second reason has to do with the transfer portal. “If they want to portal out… the studies we take now are showing there’s a high percentage of kids that portal go closer to home,” Gundy explained. Closer to home means more local name recognition, which directly translates to a bigger NIL market. (More)

BEST PRACTICES

What makes for a bad NIL deal?

Sometimes it seems impossible to know the difference between a good and bad NIL deal. That said, Blake Lawrence — who serves as the CEO of Opendorse — has thoughts on when to stay away. Check out the video below to see why he thinks the word “exclusivity” should make any athlete skeptical of putting pen to paper.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

International NIL Investment

“Being active in the NIL space gives us the opportunity to get in front of a lot of these college-aged kids that can influence their peers, friends and inner circle to become aware of us and our programs,” said Jan Twete, the club’s Director of Global Partnerships.

By taking this approach to NIL, the club is both spreading their brand while laying a recruiting pipeline directly into the Volunteer State. (More)

Content on Campus

Out2Win Sports is a marketing company started by Syracuse alum Jack Adler. This year, they inked an official partnership with the school, which allows student-athletes to opt into a personal branding program to bolster their NIL value.

Some pieces of that program happen behind closed doors, like one-on-one branding consultations with industry experts. However, we get to peek into other pieces of the program, like the school-wide “Content Day” that just happened in October. Check it out:

out2win

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Out2Win isn’t just working with Syracuse, either. The company just hosted a content event for Penn State too, solidifying their presence as a player in the growing NIL market. (More)

COLLECTIVE 101

Angel Investing Eagle

Seeing as though Auburn University holds the unenviable position of fighting Alabama football for in-state recruits, their NIL efforts are absolutely crucial to winning over highly-sought-after commitments. A recent initiative helps them stay competitive on this front.

An anonymous donor just pledged $1M to the school’s On To Victory Collective by way of a matching campaign. The rules are simple: For every thousand new members that sign up for the collective, the donor will give a quarter of a million dollars up to four times. (More)

Vander-built by NIL

It’s no mystery that Vanderbilt has, historically, suffered football struggles in the SEC. Current coach Clark Lea is well aware of this, and is looking to both the transfer portal and NIL to upgrade in the future.

“We're not set up to be transactional…but it's also no different than us building the stadium,” Coach Lea said of NIL, “We're creating opportunities and resources for this program, to modernize it in health and to adjust and adapt to what college football's becoming.” (More)

ATHELETE SPOTLIGHT

Jada Williams

Meet Jada Williams, a standout freshman point guard at the University of Arizona. Jada garnered rapid fame by showcasing her mesmerizing crossovers on social media. Now, she’s leveraged her online presence to forge some impressive NIL partnerships with prominent brands such as GymShark, Move in Soles, Spalding, Lemon Perfect, Nerf, and Opal Camera.

A member of the prestigious McDonald's All American team in 2023, Jada's success extends globally as she proudly represented the United States at the 2021 and 2022 FIBA World Cup, where she clinched two gold medals for her country on the international stage. Help us in cheering on Jada as she takes the court this season! 

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ UCLA basketball “bursts” onto the scene with this NIL deal

♦️ Howard hooper signs on with a black-owned soul food restaurant in D.C.

♦️ NIL Empower 3.0 partners up with FanWord

♦️ Siena basketball’s Michael Eley gets a signature sandwich

♦️ Why the NCAA is opposed to the employment model

♦️ NIL is keeping women’s hoopers in school

♦️ Travis Hunter spreads his wings with an American Eagle NIL deal

BATTER UP

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Was Haley Cavinder’s massive drop in NIL valuation a direct result of her commitment to TCU?

• Yes - 73%

• No - 4%

• It’s impossible to know - 23%