Hey there,

Tons has happened in the NIL world this week. We’ve got a bipartisan NIL bill to talk about, what Harvard is doing in NIL recruiting, and the risks of betting on kids with NIL deals. All of that, and more, straight ahead!

Do you have anything you want to share with us? We’d love to hear feedback. Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected].

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

NIL Without Borders

Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) has been working across the aisle to get an NIL bill done in Congress. He and Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) are trying to fix an issue that bars international students from taking advantage of NIL opportunities – as of right now, they could lose their student visa if they do so.

“Our bill would create a sub-category within the F-1 visa narrowly tailored to international student-athletes who want to pursue NIL opportunities,” Sen. Ricketts explained, “It would allow NIL activity to be generally permitted as long as student-athletes were progressing in their degree program.” (More)

Walk On Winners

It’s probably no surprise that walk-on athletes don’t necessarily get tons of NIL opportunities – resources are usually used on retaining players or luring top-end talent from programs. Thanks to one alum though, Oklahoma’s walk-on football players are getting an NIL deal.

Chris Hammons is a former Sooner walk-on himself. In a team meeting he delivered some good news to the current OU walk-ons: every one of them was getting an NIL deal with his law firm. Bono would be so proud. (More)

Name, Ivy, and Likeness

Last edition we explored Stanford, but now we’re flying to the other coast to see how a similarly brainy school, Harvard, is dealing with NIL.

According to athletic director Erin McDermott, recruiting is not “any different” from what it’s been in the recent past. Harvard isn’t actively opposing NIL, but the policy also doesn’t seem to be used as an active recruiting tool.

While some have speculated that wealthy schools with hefty endowments could price everyone out of the NIL world, that doesn’t seem to be happening any time soon. (More)

WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

• Georgia QB Carson Beck has seen a 347% increase in NIL valuation over the past ten weeks, putting him currently at $1.2M 📈

• Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders’ recent skid (losing 4 of their last 5) has seen his NIL valuation drop by over $200K 📉

• UNC power forward Armando Bacot sees his value almost double as basketball season approaches 📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Panini’s #1 Pick

When Lexi Rodriguez came to Nebraska, she didn’t envision becoming a national sensation — there simply didn’t seem to be upside to take her brand any further. Now she’s the sport’s biggest star, signing deals with Adidas and Panini America.

Panini is interesting because they hadn’t signed any female college athletes until now. The trading card company takes a calculated risk in choosing a volleyball player, as the sport’s popularity has exploded in recent years. (More)

Risky Business

NIL isn’t exactly as stable a market as, say, US treasury bonds. The reality is an NIL deal is a bit more of a gamble than other investments – these are kids we’re talking about, and sometimes kids do dumb things. 

Take Mikey Williams as an example. The former five-star basketball recruit was a social media sensation, which earned him a massive social media following in high school and an NIL deal with Puma. That all went down the drain when he got into serious trouble with the law.

Puma is paying the price for how risky that investment was now. They’ve officially cut their losses with Williams as of a few days ago, but it’s hard to measure the losses they sustained seeing as Williams was the crown jewel of their NIL efforts. (More)

COLLECTIVE 101

Free Agency Fiasco

Seton Hall’s Shaheen Holloway was a vocal critic of NIL last year, and his feelings seem to have intensified over the offseason. “It’s ‘how much can you pay me?’” he said of NIL recruitment, “It’s the wild wild west… It’s free agency, that’s what it is.”

His frustration is understandable, as Seton Hall doesn’t have the financial resources to keep up with other schools. If he’s right about “free agency,” then how are teams like his supposed to stay competitive in recruitment? (More)

A Seminole Event

As some NIL collectives have to drop NIL deals because they’re lacking donor interest, Florida State is holding strong. Last week The Battle’s End collective announced that they’d surpassed over 1,000 members. 

As of now, everything seems great for the #4 football team in the nation. The school has seen a rapid influx of NIL cash as a result of their on-field success, but real questions remain about long-term sustainability. (More)

THE NEXT BIG DEAL

Breathe It In

Deion and Shedeur Sanders may be the most public father-son duo in football right now, but Brenden and Jerry Rice aren’t far behind. The duo just linked up for a deal with Breathe Right, which Jerry has a long history with.

Brenden’s scorching start to the season has boosted his NIL valuation to almost $450K. The talent can take him far, but that last name may take him even further as far as NIL is concerned. (More)

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Darren Williams

Check out the video below to see how high school football player Darren Williams is changing the NIL game!

nil_wire

View more on Instagram

NIL BLITZ

♦️ High Schoolers are becoming NIL-literate

♦️ Georgia Southern’s Beau Johnson cooks up a tasty deal

♦️ Michael Penix Jr. talks on where NIL is headed

♦️ Oklahoma St. uses INFLCR to connect athletes to opportunities

♦️ A day in the life of LSU WBB superstar Flau’jae Johnson

BATTER UP

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Is college sports’ drift toward an employee model good or bad for women’s sports?

• Good - 51%

• Bad - 25%

• It won’t change much - 24%