Hey there,

At last, bowl season is upon us. Yes, there’s nothing quite like sitting down to watch two six-win teams compete in a football game sponsored by a company you’ve never heard of, in a city you’ve never been too. But hey, that’s what bowl season is for!

Don’t worry though — we’ve got you covered on all of the week’s NIL news. Just keep scrolling to get all caught up.

Send us your feedback! Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected].

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Top Ten NIL Store Sellers for November

It’s becoming crystal clear that we’ve turned the college sports calendar in November, because basketball absolutely dominated NIL stores sales last month. The top five selling schools are all printing money with their basketball merch – Purdue, Marquette, Iowa, UConn, and Indiana.

Interestingly, of the top ten selling NIL stores in November, six are located in the Big 10. The lone SEC top seller was LSU, whose purple women’s basketball jerseys have topped the charts.

Ohio State made the list, but not for football. In fact, their dance team’s merch catapulted them to the #6 spot for the month. (More)

Could Teams Stop Recruiting High School QBs?

After Jayden Daniels’ victory, five of the last seven Heisman winners have now been transfer portal success stories. Even three of the four finalists this year were transfers – Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., and Daniels all found career rejuvenation after leaving their former schools for greener pastures. 

We all know how important a Heisman-level QB is, but it’s becoming clearer than ever how to attain them. In the transfer portal era, NIL is the most important recruiting tactic.

It may not be long before some top tier schools abandon recruiting QBs from high school – why would you, when you could just poach another school’s stud by paying him more? Just ask LSU, who’s now had two Heisman winners since 2019, both of which started their careers elsewhere. (More)

The Curious Case of Cayden Green

The Sooners lost QB Dillon Gabriel to the portal in early December – he’s headed to Oregon. Now, after losing all but one linemen to the NFL draft or graduation, the lone returner, Cayden Green, has decided to pursue the transfer portal as well. That’s likely to get an NIL payday… Or so we thought.

The story is a bit shocking. Apparently, Green negotiated a massive dollar amount with OU’s collective – which, after some discussion, they agreed to pay. Then, after negotiations, some staffers saw him moving out of his dorm anyway. Listen to the following linked podcast for the full story. (More)

BEST PRACTICES

Food for Thought

NIL has some arguing that, “college sports have become professionalized.” The biggest challenge universities must face is access to funds from donors to recruit and retain top talent. 

Put that aside for a second, let’s talk about all the other resources that universities now must provide.

• Mental health support – 18-22 year old’s are now facing hard adult challenges. Are they up for it? What is your university doing to help them manage?

• Financial support – many of these athletes are making more than their professors. How are they being educated to make wise decisions with their newfound wealth? Paying taxes, investing, etc.

• Brand building – how are players being coached through media interviews especially when facing tough questions after losses?

 Long story short – the NIL era has added a lot more for colleges to think about as it relates to their student athletes.  

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Redefining the Athletic Department

“It’s wishful thinking to suppose that college athletics departments are able to effectively launch into a negotiation with a players union right now,” he said, adding that this change would fundamentally alter the composition of how such departments operate.

Sure, a few football programs have given themselves a business training ground with their NIL collectives, but the newest proposal could turn school athletic departments into something resembling a professional team’s front office. (More)

UCLA Launches NIL Education Program on Campus

UCLA is following in the footsteps of many major universities in establishing an NIIL education initiative on campus. The initiative will support student-athletes with courses on taxes, financial literacy, as well as the ins and outs of NIL policy.

The Bruins aren’t the first place to launch such a program – schools in every corner of the country are becoming more aware of how undefined the NIL space is, as well as how easily their athletes could misuse their earnings.

With many parents still very involved in the recruitment process, resources such as this one may be crucial in order to secure a commitment from their child. (More)

COLLECTIVE 101

Collective Concert

Duke Football’s Facelift

The moment Manny Diaz was announced as Duke’s next football coach, his eyes were on NIL. He’s already pushing the Blue Devils to spend in ways they hadn’t done in recent years.

"We took a pretty conservative approach when NIL came on the scene and watched what was happening in the market,” said Duke’s Athletic Director Nina King, “But Manny said it well. We can't sit back and do nothing.”

Duke has willing and able donors thanks to their basketball prowess, which could be converted into football wins too if employed correctly. Diaz’s work is already cut out for him, though, as the Blue Devils just lost their elite QB to the portal. (More)

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Xaivian Lee

Xaivian Lee, Princeton's sophomore standout, is rewriting basketball history. His electric play on the court has powered the Tigers to their best start in over a century, averaging an impressive 19.5 points per game.

Beyond the hardwood, this Economics major and FIBA U19 standout is a beacon of academic excellence, decorated with prestigious awards. As his popularity rises his NIL valuation will increase with it. 

NIL BLITZ

♦️ West Virginia retains offensive line talent with NIL

♦️ Ole Miss NIL collective selects Basepath for NIL operations provider

♦️ Nebraska volleyball sensation is setting historic NIL records

♦️ Missouri QB signs deal with vintage company Charlie Hustle

♦️ Dylan Harper, 5 star Rutgers commit, signs deal with Fanatics

♦️ Penn State collective announces an NIL-fueled energy drink

♦️ Super Patch signs a deal with Georgia HS studs, now that NIL is legal in the state

BATTER UP

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Do you think power 5 athletes are getting carried away with what they think their NIL valuation is worth?

• Yes - 84%

• No - 16%