🏅Here's the top seven athletic departments in the country

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Hey there,

Do you think your alma mater has one of the best athletic departments in the country? Well, Front Office Sports just gave us their picks for that honor, which we cover in today’s edition. We’ve also got a story on a 5-star basketball phenom who’s threatening to break the NIL market before he even steps foot on campus. Oh, and Michigan may have to drop one of their storied traditions to make revenue in the near future. It’s all coming up right now on NIL Wire.

Do us a favor and check out todays sponsor, Teamworks, they are shaping the shaping the future of digital banking for student athlete’s.

But before we get there, do you follow us on Facebook? If not, you should check us out to stay up-to-date on everything NIL. Followed? Great. Let’s take you to the news!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

The Top 7 Athletic Departments in the Country 🏟️ 

Front Office Sports just released their list for the best college athletic department in the country, and it’s got some surprises in store. Only 4 of the 7 selections play within a power four conference, and there’s only one school resembling a traditional “blue blood” on the list – Oklahoma.

The schools were judged on the following four categories: Sports-related facilities and resources, mental health and wellness services, NIL deregulation support and education, and career transition services.

To be clear, these aren’t the schools that raise the most NIL money, or even bring in the most revenue. They’re the ones that best dedicate those resources toward these four criteria. Click the following link to see if your school made the cut. (More)

#1 Recruit Could Command $7-9 Million in NIL

We could be on the cusp of the largest NIL bidding war to date. The battle is centered around AJ Dybantsa – the #1 basketball recruit in the class of 2025, and a surefire top-flight NBA draft choice: 

His list of potential schools has narrowed to five: Kansas, Alabama, North Carolina, Kansas State, and BYU. However, those schools may have to pay up big time to acquire his services – according to one report, his price to tag may linger around the $7-9 million dollar range.

If the reports are accurate (and that’s a big if), Dybantsa would instantly become the most valuable NIL athlete in college sports history. For comparison, Duke’s Cooper Flagg – the presumed #1 pick in next year’s draft – is currently worth about $2.6 million. (More)

Michigan May Lose a Tradition to Make Up Revenue

For quite some time, Michigan has stood as a bastion of sorts for the “old” way of college football, with a heavy emphasis on tradition. However, with a wave of new changes hitting college sports, they may be forced to prioritize revenue now.

The way that might happen is by finally allowing advertisements within their football stadium, something they’ve never even considered until the House Settlement was finally approved earlier this month.

“We've had a history of no signage, no advertising in Michigan Stadium,” explained Michigan AD Warde Manuel, “As our fans go to other locations, they'll see how people have utilized their stadiums to bring in revenue… We have a source that is untapped at this point in time.” (More)

Teaming up with

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With a scalable, secure mechanism for athletic departments to manage payments, Teamworks Wallet ensures athletes are paid efficiently and safely.

Currently used by multiple Power 4 schools for collective payments, the results speak for themselves—95% of student-athletes added Teamworks Wallet to their Apple Wallet immediately after signing up, proving we’re meeting them right where they are.

To learn more about Wallet, click here.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Jada Walker

• School: Baylor 

• Sport: Women's Basketball

• Position: Guard

• Class: Senior

• Accolades: 

•  2024 CSC ACADEMIC ALL-DISTRICT

•  BIG 12 CONFERENCE PLAYER OF THE WEEK (JAN. 2, 2024)

•  2021-22 ALL-SEC FRESHMAN TEAM

•  SEC FRESHMAN OF THE WEEK (2/22/22)

• NIL: Jada has used her platform to secure NIL deals with Athlete Threads, Murry Ave, Draco Slides, and Authentic. 

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Hoping to stop online abuse, NCAA releases their first online harassment study

♦️ Kenny Dillingham urges bettors to put their ASU winnings into the school’s NIL collective

♦️ Ohio State is spending $2M more per year on travel with the Big Ten’s expansion west

♦️ NIL changes are confusing, but they’re even more confusing in the middle of the season

♦️ Rick Pitino gave $15K to Kentucky’s football NIL

♦️ Texas AD says expenses will be $11.5M more each year after House settlement

♦️ College coaches can now fine players – a first for college sports

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Will New Mexico State secure funding from their state legislature for women's sports?

• Yes - 49.14%

• No - 50.86%