Cougars, Contracts, and Coaches Gone Corporate

Hey there,

Boy do we have a treat for you today. Not only do we have all the latest NIL news — including updates on Gervon Dexter’s contentious contract, an argument for NIL keeping kids in school, and more — we also have a brand new Thursday exclusive section for you.

It’s called What’s Trending, and it’ll come every Thursday for you to see what’s trending up and down in the NIL world. Think of it like the NIL stock market, and we’re tracking the changes for you.

Tell us if you like it. Or hate it. Or anything else, really. We’d love to hear feedback on anything and everything about our newsletter. Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected].

— Cole, Justin and Collin

Contractual Confusion

One of the biggest legal disputes in NIL revolves around former Florida football player Gervon Dexter. The deal was signed while he was still in college, and basically gave him over $400,000 immediately in exchange for 15% of his future career earnings. Now a Chicago Bear, he’s trying to get that deal voided, framing the investment capital fund Big League Advantage (BLA) as predatory.

There’s been some developments in the case recently. BLA filed a motion for arbitration, meaning that they basically want to take the decision out of the court’s hands and get it resolved based on the terms of the deal itself. Essentially, the fund put guardrails in place on the contract that could stop this thing from ever seeing a courtroom. (More)

$taying in $chool

One of the biggest complaints with NIL was that it was making college sports more professional, and less about college. Well, at least according to Utah head football coach Kyle Whittingham, it’s actually doing the opposite by giving student-athletes a financial incentive to stay in school longer.

“There’s a definite increase in the number of guys staying for that extra year or two because they can earn money through NIL and, in some cases, do better than they would in the NFL,” he said. The numbers seem to back that up – being a top 100 NIL valuation is oftentimes more valuable than a late round NFL contract. (More)

Cougars Cashing In

Houston’s resurgence to basketball prominence has been spectacular for many to see. The coaching is perfect, and the on-court success has dazzled. Now, the only thing left is for the Cougars to attract some top flight talent… which shouldn’t be too hard after the deal they just made.

The school’s LinkingCoogs collective just landed a massive deal with a local law firm worth $350,000 – all going toward NIL for basketball. The same firm recently also inked a $1M deal with the Houston football team last spring.

In order for Houston to stay competitive as newly minted members of the Big 12, they needed to build out their NIL base. Deals of this caliber solve that problem fairly easily. The school may never again acquire the talent that they had in the mid-eighties, but if there was ever a chance to get close again, then it’ll be because of NIL. (More)

What’s Trending

• LSU QB Jayden Daniels is soaring in NIL value as his Heisman odds rise into the top four 📈

• Caleb Williams’ disappointing performance in two straight weeks sees his stock plummet 📉

• Alabama’s Jalen Milroe sees a $47K spike after the Crimson Tide beats Tennessee 📈

Angel Investments

Like many other companies, Reebok has taken a cautious approach to the world of NIL marketing. The fact of the matter is that these kids are, well, kids – nothing’s a sure thing in the world of college sports. That’s why Reebok’s new President of Basketball Shaquille O’ Neal went with the closest possible thing: established superstar Angel Reese.

Reese’s meteoric rise unfolded last season as she led LSU to a dramatic win over Iowa in the national title game. She’s likely making more money in college basketball than she could in the WNBA, so staying in school is a bit of a no brainer to her. (More)

No Penalty, No Problem

While everyone else decries the horrors of the modern transfer system, Kentucky’s coach John Calipari is suggesting that the NCAA loosen up even more. At an SEC event earlier this month, he threw his support behind a system that allows for penalty-free transfer.

“If you want to transfer without penalty, you can one time,” he said, “If you had any other issues – family stuff, mental health – you take the year off to get yourself together and then you play. But you have five years."

To many, this proposal would only worsen the transfer problems that accompany NIL – namely, expanding what opponents see as an already rampant tampering epidemic. On the other hand, a freer transfer cycle would allow teams like Calipari’s Kentucky to reload more efficiently after losing a huge chunk of their team in one offseason. (More)

Coach Gone Corporate

There’s an old saying that you can’t teach an old dog new tricks. Well, when NIL money is on the line, old dogs don’t really have a choice. In his latest column Ryan Brown talks about how NIL has affected the way coaches interact with the media nationwide.

According to him, NIL is killing the connection between local coaches and their communities. Instead of popping on for a local show, coaches are forced to commoditize their time into building a more productive NIL brand.

“The school is leaning on [coaches] to do more and more for their media productions because it is funding his program’s NIL collective,” he explained, “Many coaches are now looking at their interviews through the prism of ‘How can I use this to raise money?’” (More)

Sow Talent, Reap Transfers

Oklahoma State’s associate director for NIL Mike Boynton sat down on the Mind Games podcast to talk about the rapidly evolving NIL landscape. He had an interesting take on the role smaller schools play in talent development within the NIL/Transfer Portal industrial complex.

“Obviously the Power Five [conferences] have an advantage here… the mid-majors, I really feel for them,” he said, “We have the transfer portal issue where mid-majors and low majors have now slowly become farm club systems for the high majors. That’s an issue, that’s a problem.”

There are a few pertinent examples that come to mind for something like this –like Alabama basketball’s insane transfer class for this upcoming season. They added studs from North Dakota State, Cal State Fullerton, and Hofstra after each player had a career year against lower competition. (More)

Don’t Doubt Dillon

After Oklahoma’s disappointing season last year, everyone counted out Dillon Gabriel. This year though, Gabriel is shutting up every doubter by playing at a Heisman level – and if you play good (say it with me) they pay good.

That’s exactly what they’re doing now. Gabriel opened up his own apparel brand in partnership with Brands Unlimited, which sells T shirts, hats, and more using his name, image, and likeness.

The QB is set for a substantial payday in merch sales. Oklahoma doesn’t have another ranked team on their schedule all year, meaning Gabriel’s strong statistics could easily translate into even more profit. (More)

Lonnie Reed-Perez

Watch the video below to learn how this Penn State basketball player has secured NIL deals with Josh Shapiro’s 2022 election campaign, Damian Lillard’s insole company and more!

♦️ Iowa’s Fran McCaffrey rips NIL and the transfer portal

♦️ USF’s Sofia Chepenik is taking Women’s Lacrosse NIL to the next level

♦️ Indiana is selling posters that benefit basketball players

♦️ Rutgers’ NIL “KnightFest” has a rocky rollout

♦️ Arch Manning donates over $100K from NIL trading card auction

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Will college athletics be collectively bargained by players in the near future?

• Yes - 79%

• No - 21%