🏅Deals, Deals, Deals

Teaming up with

Hey there,

Private equity partnerships, NIL deals, and multi-media agreements – today’s edition is loaded with money-making moves. First, the Big 12 is mulling which firm they’re going to partner with if they decide to go the private equity route. Next, a tell-all on transfer portal tampering. And lastly, A&M’s historic deal with Playfly, laid out by the dollar. Get your checkbooks ready, because we’re talking about big dollars right now.

Wait – have you not signed up yet for the webinar that Anthem’s putting on about NIL and taxes? It’s happening today, at 1:00 PM central time. Don’t miss out, you can still sign up here. Oh, and did we mention it’s completely free?

Alright alright. Let’s get into the news.

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

Big 12 to Pick Private Equity Partner Soon

The Big 12 is seriously considering a liquid injection of hundreds-of-millions – or potentially even a billion dollars – via private equity investment. The conference’s presidents and athletic directors met to look over three bids last Thursday.

We first heard about this story in June, but now that the college football season is over, discussions seem to have ramped back up. The deal we’re looking at would likely be about $800 million to $1 billion investment for 15% to 20% equity in the conference.

The current frontrunner seems to be Redbird Capital, according to an anonymous source, which owns Italian soccer club AC Milan, as well as a 10% stake in Fenway Sports Group. So they’re not foreign to the sports investment world. (More)

Anonymous Sources Tell All on Transfer Portal Tampering

Everyone knows portal tampering is out of control, but some new anonymous sources just put the problem into perspective. To quote one agent, “If you’re not tampering, you’re going to lose.”

“I don’t know anybody that doesn’t [tamper],” said one Big Ten staffer, “Group of Five teams are doing it on s****y Group of Five teams. … There’s a whole league right above us that does it the right way, and we’re refusing to go to them for help.”

Many are blaming the agents themselves for tampering – calling up schools and gauging interest in their guys. But agents themselves say that ADs actually leverage agents to get in contact with players. You’ve got to look at some of these quotes in the link. (More)

Texas A&M Signs Record-Breaking Contract

Texas A&M just signed one of the biggest media contracts in college sports history – a half-a-billion-dollar deal with Playfly Sports for the next fifteen years. The Aggies annual media payout will essentially double from where it is now:

In the first year of the deal, 2026, it will net the Aggies $12 million more than the one they currently have with Learfield. The agreement will see $95 million head to college station in the first three years, as well as an undisclosed portion dedicated to NIL.

Point blank, this is the biggest media rights deal in college sports history. It’s a huge get for Playfly, who now handles media rights for 25 college athletics departments. (More)

Teaming up with

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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Paige Bueckers

• School: UCONN

• Sport: Basketball

• Position: Guard

• Class: Senior

   

• Accolades: 

• 2024 WBCA, AP, USBWA, and Wooden Award First Team All-America

• 2024 CSC First Team Academic All-America

• 2024 BIG EAST Player of the Year

• 2024 BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year

• NIL: Paige becomes the first college basketball player to sign a groundbreaking NIL deal with Unrivaled, a new 3-on-3 women's basketball league. Paige is getting ownership equity, making her the first NCAA athlete to have a stake in a pro league. 

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ The NCAA just moved the House Settlement opt-in date from March 1^st to June 15^th

♦️ Kalen DeBoer thinks rev-sharing is good for ‘Bama, where “Recruiting is real recruiting, not just someone who’s gonna put in the highest bid”

♦️ The NCAA saw $1.4 billion in revenue last year, including a $166 million surplus 

♦️ Adrian Wojnarowski is selling his old phones to pay for St. Bonaventure’s NIL

♦️ Michigan AD admits that the basketball team’s turnaround has been unexpected, credits Dusty May’s NIL prowess for success

♦️ USC’s JuJu Watkins takes flight with her newest NIL partnership

♦️ Texas is increasing their season ticket prices in preparation for the House Settlement

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Would you be in favor of the college football scheduling mirroring the NFL schedule completely?

• Yes, why not? - 43%

• No, let college football do our own thing - 57%