🏅 Caleb Williams is NFL ready thanks to NIL

Hey there,

NIL has made millionaires out of some college athletes, which might scare people. I sure know that me getting $1M at nineteen would have been a disaster. But what if being part of the NIL business world actually helped some young people grow up? Made their career more professional from the get-go? That may have happened with college football’s biggest star — keep reading to see how NIL affected Caleb Williams’ NFL readiness.

Hold up — Do you not follow us on TikTok? We’ve got to fix that ASAP. Click the link to stay updated with NIL news on Gen Z’s digital playground. If you don’t have Tik Tok by now… you’re probably not getting it. Don’t worry — we’re on Facebook too!

Also make sure you look for our awesome sponsor, HubSpot. They put bread on the table for us here at NIL Wire, so check them out.

Would you like to get your service, product, or brand in front of NIL Wire’s readers? We’d love to partner with you and make it happen. Just respond to this email and we’ll talk business.

We love hearing from you. Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected] with questions, concerns, and more. Now, to the news!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

NIL Helps Caleb Williams Prep for NFL

Caleb Williams’ time in college is coming to a close, but he may have been the most successful athlete in the NIL era thus far. According to a new report, Williams snagged over $10M in NIL money over the last two years as USC’s starting quarterback. On3 currently has his annual valuation at $2.7M, fifth highest in the country regardless of sport.

The NIL experience gave him more than just money, though. Williams decided not to hire an agent for the NFL draft – a decision rooted in the business groundwork he’s already laid in the NIL world. His team, which includes attorneys and business experts, have already negotiated deals with national brands like Nissan, Dr. Pepper, and Wendy’s. For the presumptive #1 pick, the draft is nothing his team can’t handle as is.

One source close to the USC team spoke glowingly of Williams’ professionalism: "It wasn't like having a college quarterback on your roster,” they said, “It was like having an NFL starting quarterback on your roster.” (More)

NCAA May Punish University Presidents?

The NCAA Infraction Committee is mulling the possibility of disciplining more than just coaches for violations – extending possible penalties up to athletic directors and even school presidents. It’s by no means a done deal, but the mere fact that they’re floating the solution has some school officials worried. 

The idea is situated within what the NCAA sees as a larger problem with transparency – which is why part of the proposal would include making names public as an accountability measure. If a school is found to “lack of institutional control,” the NCAA thinks someone must be held accountable, which could extend all the way to the President. 

“A school must have been found guilty of a ‘failure to monitor’ for an athletic director’s name to emerge in a report,” according to Ross Dellenger, so penalties wouldn’t be levied unless negligence was evident. (More)

Reed Sheppard on His High Horse

Kentucky basketball’s Reed Sheppard just signed an NIL deal with Life is Good – and no, we’re not talking about my dad’s favorite graphic-tees brand. In this case, Life is Good is a Kentucky-based racing horse who’s won 75% of his races and earned over $4.5M for his breeders, WinStar farm. The announcement came after Sheppard nailed a buzzer-beating shot to beat Mississippi State earlier this week.

Sheppard is not the first Kentucky baller to sign on with Life is Good – Kentucky basketball alum Oscar Tshiebwe signed an NIL deal with WinStar Farm all the way back in 2022, and former Kentucky QB Will Levis inked a similar deal in the same year. Who knew horseracing could become the NIL market it has? (More)

Unlock the full potential of your workday with cutting-edge AI strategies and actionable insights, empowering you to achieve unparalleled excellence in the future of work. Download the free guide today!

BEST PRACTICES

Schools: It’s Not About More Information

If you’re reading this, you probably have some stake in how schools handle NIL. You probably also have ideas about they can do it better, and most solutions involve dedicating more money to the effort. What if that’s not the key to NIL success though?

That’s what Matt Brown thinks. In a recent post entitled “Here’s how schools can not suck at doing NIL,” he urges schools to re-center the conversation from transactions to relationships.

“So many very well-meaning adults have latched on to the idea that college athletes everywhere are lacking in NIL Education, and badly need webinars, guest speakers, training modules, and all manner of information thrust upon them,” he said. These are important — to be sure, but they’re not ingested without trust.

“When I’ve talked with school-based professionals at… places that I think do a lot of NIL-related programming well, I’ve heard a consistent theme,” Brown continued, “NIL-focused administrators focus on building relationships and trust with athletes first, and then, once the relationship is established, the athletes come to them when they need something.”

When schools see student-athletes as NIL assets, they’ve dug their own grave. Understanding a player, building trust with them — that’s what builds relationships, and thus NIL success. Not more webinars. (More)

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Learfield Prepares for NIL Rule Changes

In many ways NIL service provider Learfield has led the charge in NIL business since the policy was introduced earlier this decade. However, they’ve seen plenty of downside on some of their high-risk investments – many of which put them in billion-dollar debt last year. Now they’re trying to curtail those losses by specifying their disaster clauses in contracts. 

“Given the unprecedented changes in college athletics over that period and the uncertainty of future events,” Raleigh said, “Learfield and our school partners have agreed on the usefulness of contractual clarity and flexibility in connection with continued changes in the business.”

Some events that could trigger a deal’s offset include “unwanted attention or public scandal”,  playing a less-than-demanded amount of home football and basketball games, and “material rule changes” to NIL policy – which means “Any change in applicable constitution, bylaws, regulations or policies of the NCAA or any athletic conference in which University is a member.” (More)

• Thanks to Caitlin Clark, tomorrow’s matchup of Iowa vs Ohio State is going to be the most expensive women’s basketball game to attend. Ever.

• Sports attorney Michael McCann explained how the 2024 Presidential election and Supreme Court could play a role in whether or not college athletes are deemed employees.

COLLECTIVE 101

UCF Receives Record Breaking Gift

An alumnus with money to spare just gave the University of Central Florida the largest athletics gift in the school’s history. Business mogul and Ethereum co-founder Taylor A. Gerring pledged $5.5M to the athletics department, while also pledging $1M to the school’s NIL collective, The Kingdom.

“I’m happy to give back to the university to show my appreciation for everything that’s been provided to me,” Gerring said in a press release, “My hope is that it inspires other students to achieve great things.” 

UCF has gotten off to an admittedly shaky start since entering the Big 12. While no single donation can turn a school’s fortunes entirely, a massive influx of NIL cash is certainly a good place to start. (More)

• Oklahoma State is trying to juggle NIL with facility improvement.  Softball coach Kenny Gajewski: “I would venture to say that facilities is probably down on the list farther than it’s ever been.”

• Alabama’s Athletic Director Greg Byrne admitted that he didn’t think “all the [NIL] rules are necessarily,” in light of the injunction in the NCAA vs Tennessee and Virginia lawsuit.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Davion Guity

Meet Davion Guity, a remarkable JUCO basketball player who has not only made a name for himself on the court but also in the business world. Starting his journey with Overtime at the age of 16, Davion quickly dove into the influencer space, paving the way for his future success.

Now, as the most endorsed athlete at the JUCO level with over 35 secured partnerships, Davion has become a force to be reckoned with. His impressive skills on the court have earned him admiration from fans, while his savvy business acumen has led to NIL deals with major brands like Nike, Overtime Fits, and PSD Underwear.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Caitlin Clark’s record breaking jersey could fetch $200K

♦️ Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence’s reaction to SVP’s NIL take

♦️ K-State adds NIL roster management position in their athletic department

♦️ Memphis names NIL general manager

Share NIL Wire

Have a friend or colleague who would enjoy NIL Wire? Share with them today!

You currently have 0 referrals.

BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Have you ever given money to an NIL-related cause?

• Yes - 54%

• No - 46%