🏅 Iowa is looking for NIL money at a truckstop

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Hey there,

What do the Department of Justice, the world’s biggest truckstop, and the Notre Dame logo all have in common? They’re all included in today’s edition of NIL Wire! It’s a wacky slate of news today — keep reading to find out what’s going on in the NIL world.

While you’re here, you should really check out our sponsor today, Finance Buzz and check out the best credit card offers in the game.

Tomorrow we’ve got a great interview for you with Blake Baratz, an NIL agent who just signed the top QB in the 2027 high school class. Interested? So were we. Tune in tomorrow to see the interview!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

St. John’s Unveils NIL Minor

If you’re a student looking to get into the NIL world, we’ve got good news for you. St. John’s just launched a Name, Image, and Likeness minor program – one of the first we’ve seen of its kind in the country. 

This minor didn’t come out of nothing—the skeleton of the program was already in place under the banner of Sports Leadership and Branding. Now, however, the school will implement an NIL-specific focus by partnering with the St. John’s UNLIMITED program, the school’s official NIL arm.

From “Social Media Marketing” to “Sports Law and Name, Image, and Likeness,” the minor will cover every angle of NIL. You can take a look at the course offerings here. (More)

Iowa’s Truck Stop Fundraiser

It’s always fun to see how NIL fundraisers match their school’s personality. Kentucky, for example, brought in John Legend for a private concert to boost NIL funds – that much is to be expected when your basketball team attracts superstar fans like Drake. But things are a little different in Iowa, where fundraisers happen at truck stops.

The University of Iowa’s upcoming NIL fundraiser will take place on June 17th at the “world’s largest truckstop” – the Iowa 80 Truckstop in Walcott, Iowa. The event will feature meet-and-greets with football and basketball players, as well as autograph signings with the athletes.

Iowa’s always found a way to get NIL money in the door. During their April fundraiser at a local casino, the line to meet Iowa’s women’s basketball players ran out the door. Expect this one to be no different. (More)

NCAA Needed Settlement for “Predictability”

During Charlie Baker’s wide-ranging conversation with NPR last week, the NCAA’s president gave insight into why he ultimately decided to pursue a settlement in the House v. NCAA lawsuit. His primary reason? Predictability. 

“I think for us, finding a way out of that status quo and creating what I would describe as some predictability,” he said when asked about why he thought an agreement was necessary, “It basically gives the NCAA and its membership 10 years to pay off the back damages. And also to some extent, it binds us all together over that 10-year period to work together, to follow through on it.”

That last part is crucial. The settlement, while costly, ensures the NCAA’s continued existence by connecting its fate together with the conferences and schools. If one fails, they all fail. (More)

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Coastal Carolina Coach Says Good Riddance to NIL

Gary Gilmore has accomplished more at Coastal Carolina than most power conference coaches could dream of. Finishing his career with almost 1,400 wins and a national title in 2016, the coach decided to call it quits at the end of the 2024 season.

He didn’t leave without giving us his thoughts on the NIL system though. Click the link to hear why Gilmore is happy to be done with money in college sports, and share his own thoughts on how to fix a broken system.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

D.O.J. Officially Bans Transfer Limits

We knew this was coming for a few months now, but it’s somewhat surreal to see the memo actually arrive: The U.S. Department of Justice has officially banned the NCAA from enforcing the Transfer Eligibility Rule.

The decision comes after the DOJ joined a civil lawsuit under the Sherman Antitrust Act in January. According to them, restricting the transfer portal violates labor law, as it restricts a player’s ability to make money off of their name, image, and likeness.

“Free from anti-competitive rules that unfairly limit their mobility,” said Justice Department official Jonathon Kanter, “This resolution is a testament to the benefits of federal and state enforcers working together to ensure free markets and fair competition for all Americans.” (More)

• Former USC running back Reggie Bush continues to pursue his defamation suit against the NCAA despite getting his Heisman trophy back. The suit’s judge said that Bush’s “alleged conduct” would be legal under the “current NIL rules.”

• Sporting Kansas City introduced gave student-athletes a front office tour as part of their team’s NIL program. The program’s goal is to support homegrown athletes with NIL – as far as we know, the only one of its kind in the pro-sports world.  

COLLECTIVE 101

Will Rev-Share Force Schools to Cut Teams?

With most athletic departments already operating at a deficit, a nationwide budget overhaul is coming for college sports. The new $22M revenue sharing bill could mean cuts to other aspects of the department, like how many sports teams a school can support.

“One of the things that frustrated me… was when I read about certain figures out there comparing what we do to professional leagues,” said Alabama AD Greg Byrne, “They never talk about how professional leagues have one team. We have 21. It never gets mentioned. I’m not trying to talk down to you but that’s just frustrating from my lens.”

In light of these comments, Byrne was asked more than once last week about whether Alabama would cut programs. “Obviously, you don’t want to do that,” he said in response, “You’ve seen a couple of other schools since COVID who had reduced sports but obviously that would be the last thing we want to do.” (More)

• Florida State is appealing some of the NIL-related recruitment penalties handed down to them last month. While they accept two-year postseason ban, the school is fighting the fine that would sap 1% of the school’s football budget.

• Top QB recruit Deuce Knight committed to Notre Dame in part because of the school’s NIL branding opportunities: “That ND logo, that’s a big brand, so I can make a lot of money off my name at Notre Dame.”

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Jalen Milroe

• School: University of Alabama 

• Position: Quarterback 

• Sport: Football 

• Class: Redshirt Junior 

Accolades: 

• All-SEC Recognition: Earned second-team All-SEC recognition from the Associated Press.

• Pass Completion Stats: Completed 187-of-284 passes for 2,834 yards and 23 touchdowns.

• Rushing Touchdowns: Led all quarterbacks and ranked fifth in the conference for rushing touchdowns with 12.

• Manning Award Finalist: Named a finalist for the Manning Award.

• NIL: Jalen has landed NIL deals with companies like EA Sports and Six Star Nutrition and has used his resources to put on the Jalen Milroe Youth Football Camp. 

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ SEC Commish Greg Sankey loses his temper on the NCAA: “Sometimes you have to be a jerk.”

♦️ Caleb Love re-ups his partnership with Arizona Assist with new merch

♦️ This South Dakota high school NIL law is becoming controversial within the community

♦️ Arizona high school footballer suspended after NIL shirt snafu 

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Which potential change to college football would be worse?

• Corporate Logos on the field during games - 44%

• No more walk-ons because of roster size limits - 56%