🏅BYU's NIL has an "open checkbook" to pursue the #1 basketball recruit in 2025

Teaming up with

Hey there,

Happy Tuesday – thanks for spending it with us. We’re here to keep you in the know about everything NIL, and today’s edition is jam-packed with updates.

First, we’ve got confirmation that Tony Bennett retired because of NIL. We’ve also got news on how a Republican-led Senate could change the picture for NIL legislation, as well as a story on BYU’s “open checkbook” to pursue the #1 basketball recruit this season. It’s all coming up right now – let’s get into it!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

Tony Bennett Retired Because of NIL

College basketball fans were shocked earlier this month when Virginia’s legendary coach, Tony Bennett, abruptly retired from coaching at 55. We now know the reason behind his decision: NIL and the transfer portal.

“I looked at myself and I realized, I’m no longer the best coach to lead this program,” he explained at his retirement press conference, “The game and college athletics is not in a healthy spot, and there needs to be change. I think I was equipped to do the job here the old way.”

Bennett coached the Cavaliers to a 364-136 record during his time at Virginia. He collected four ACC Coach of the Year awards alongside a dominant National Championship run in 2019. (More)

BYU has an “Open Checkbook” for Basketball NIL

Remember when we told you about on AJ Dybantsa – the #1 basketball recruit that could command record-breaking NIL money? Well the BYU Cougars are a real possibility to pony up that money thanks to some deep pockets funding their NIL pursuit. 

Those pockets belong to Ryan Smith, the owner of the Utah Jazz, and Danny Ainge, the CEO of Basketball Operations for the Jazz. The pair seems keen on keeping Dybantsa in his home-state of Utah:

It’s worth noting that the Utah Jazz have a couple of first round selections in the 2026 NBA draft – that’s the year Dybantsa will likely declare. As the team gears toward a rebuild, the executives may want to keep a close, home-state eye on the prospect for scouting purposes. (More)

A Ted Cruz-Led Senate Could be Good for NCAA

Not too long ago we showed you how the fate of student-athlete employment could be directly tied to the 2024 election. But it’s not just the President that could change outcomes – it’s also the Senate, which could soon be led by Ted Cruz (R., Texas).

Many speculate that with Cruz at the helm, the Senate would pass “NCAA-friendly” legislation. These ideas are buoyed in large part by Cruz’s previous language around “empowering” the NCAA, whereas Democratic opponents, like Cory Booker, have advocated against the governing body.

“I spent a lot of time trying to bring Democrats and Republicans together this year on this issue,” Cruz said recently, “They were not willing to move this year. I’m very hopeful next year, with the gavel, that’ll change.” (More)

Teaming up with

Teamworks Wallet is the first digital banking solution built specifically for college athletics, designed to simplify money management for student-athletes.

With a scalable, secure mechanism for athletic departments to manage payments, Teamworks Wallet ensures athletes are paid efficiently and safely.

Currently used by multiple Power 4 schools for collective payments, the results speak for themselves—95% of student-athletes added Teamworks Wallet to their Apple Wallet immediately after signing up, proving we’re meeting them right where they are.

To learn more about Wallet, click here.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

RJ Davis

• School: North Carolina

• Sport: Basketball

• Position: Guard

• Class: Graduate Student 

 Accolades: 

• Won his second straight UNC Most Valuable Player award 

• Finalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award 

• Winner of the Jerry WFinalist for the Naismith Trophy and Wooden Award

• Winner of the Jerry West Award, given by the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame to the top shooting guard in the country

• First Tar Heel and second ACC player (Duke's RJ Barrett in 2019) to win the West Award

NIL:  His NIL valuation has skyrocketed to an estimated $1.2 million, landing him lucrative deals with major brands like Nike and Gatorade.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Arkansas is rolling out a “spare change” round up program to benefit NIL

♦️ Ferris State women’s basketball team inks one of the first team-wide NIL deals in Division II

♦️ Washington athletics plans to spend as much money as the top schools in college football

♦️ Pitt’s football coach calls their new NIL-forward athletic director a “slam dunk” hire

♦️ Here’s the app trying to overcome collective fundraising inefficiencies

♦️ Illinois football coach: “NIL money is great. The I stands for instant. And NFL money, the F stands forever.”

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

How high will Cam Ward go in the NFL Draft?

• 2nd or 3rd rounder - 27%

• 1st rounder - 28%

• Top-5 pick - 26%

• #1 overall - 19%