🏅 Matt Rhule & Mac 'n' Cheese

Teaming up with

Hey there,

Question: What were you doing in middle school? As for me, I was skating around my neighborhood, popping Totino’s pizza rolls, and maybe when I had time I’d play some basketball on the side. That’s not true of our feature story today – at only 13 years old, she just signed an NIL deal with Nike. Yes, the biggest athletic apparel company in the world. In my book, that’s more impressive than Isaac Newton discovering gravity at 23.

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Nike Signs Soccer Phenom

McKenna “Mak” Whitham is only 13 years old, but her soccer skills have already proven to Nike she’s destined for greatness. That’s why the athletics company just signed her to an NIL deal that makes her the youngest Nike athlete ever.

Whitham has even been training with professional soccer teams over the past few months, which, combined with her stellar performance for the U-15 national team, put her on the radar for companies like Nike. She’s currently a member of the 2028 high-school graduating class.

“I'm just super excited to be part of the Nike family,” she told ESPN, “Not every kid gets to get signed by Nike.” Correct, Mak. In fact, only one 13-year-old ever has: You. (More)

MarketPryce Plays Cupid

For Valentine’s Day last week, NIL service provider MarketPryce ran a campaign to spread the love with their NIL athlete partners. The company gave student-athletes across the country the opportunity to surprise their valentine with a gift from a selection of their company partners, which included Bombas, House Pickleball, and Gameday Couture. 

Gameday Couture was the most popular selection by far. House Pickleball, a college campus favorite activity for Gen Z, was also massively successful – in fact they were the first company to sell out their available product for the promotion. (More)

Despite Probe, Tennessee Keeps Calm

Amidst the NIL investigation drama surrounding their football team, the Tennessee Volunteers are trying to ease commits’ minds – none more so than five-star quarterback George MacIntyre. The #3 QB in the 2025 class said that he was monitoring the situation “a little bit.”

“Everybody I’ve talked to, Tennessee and non-Tennessee people, all say they think nothing’s going to happen,” MacIntyre said, “So hopefully that’s true. "(The coaching staff) explained what’s going on, why there’s speculation (from the NCAA).”

George’s late grandfather was a coach at Vanderbilt, which gave George’s father, Matt, unique perspective on the situation. “Being around football my whole life, there’s always going to be (NCAA) stuff going on,” Matt said, “I do think it’s a big deal overall for football, what’s going on, I just don’t think it’s that big of a deal for Tennessee.” (More)

Teaming up with

Want to go a step deeper?

The N.I.L. Playbook, developed by NXT Level Holdings, is a comprehensive guide designed for college and high school student-athletes looking to learn more about their new opportunities.

The book is useful to coaches, administrators, parents, alumni and NIL industry pros to help navigate the rapidly evolving landscape in college and high school athletics.

The Playbook covers everything. Topics include: how to utilize social media to build your personal brand, how to seize potential N.I.L. partnerships, and what to look for in contracts — not to mention tons of other resources and strategies that student-athletes can use to enhance their profile and monetize their Name, Image and Likeness.

Check it out today!

WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

•  UCLA continues to accelerate their NIL strategy under DeShaun Foster, opening a school-specific NIL store 📈

• St. John’s coach Rick Pitino explodes on his team after losing 8 of the last 10 games, saying to the media “This is the most unenjoyable experience of my lifetime.” He’s framed himself as a player-first NIL guru to this point 📉

• Texas coach Steve Sarkisian sees his compensation double after leading the Longhorns through their best season in a decade 📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

NIL May Kill NBA’s Development Program

When the NBA first started the G-League Ignite program in 2020, he wanted to give potential NBA prospects an alternative path to the draft – one that paid players while putting them in front of league scouts. Now, with NIL, Silver is rethinking the policy.

“I'm not sure what the future of Team Ignite will be,” he explained over All Star weekend, “Because before there was a hole in the marketplace that we thought we were filling before doing that.”

“[Prospects] wanted the ability not just to earn a living playing basketball but to do commercial deals that weren't available to them at college, to hire professional agents… All of those same opportunities have become available to them.” (More)

• NFL agent Drew Rosenhaus is urging the NCAA to adopt a professional structure for their sports: “I love the fact that college guys are finally getting paid… In the NFL we’ve got a salary cap. We’ve got free agency. We’ve got rules… Guys can’t just go from one team to the next.”

• Mac and Cheese brand Myles Comfort Foods just struck NIL deals with two schools as part of an HBCU showcase during the NBA’s All-Star weekend. They called their makeshift collective the “All Mac and Cheese” team.

COLLECTIVE 101

Louisville Leads on Flash Giving

Louisville’s NIL collective continues to crush the competition, particularly by mastering one strategy: “flash giving.” As part of a flash giving campaign during the women’s basketball team’s matchup with Virginia Tech last week, the collective was able to raise over $28K in one night by utilizing QR codes around the stadium.

The Cardinals have used the fundraising strategy once before – when they knocked off Notre Dame in football this year – and it brought in more than $50K in donations to the collective. Flash giving has shown to be one of the most effective NIL fundraising techniques to date, which begs the question: What’s stopping other schools from running similar campaigns? (More)

• Nebraska football coach Matt Rhule provided a measured answer when asked about whether coaches are leaving college football because of NIL: “I think there are some (coaches) who just want to call plays… I’m not against NIL or the transfer portal. To me I wish there was more structure around it.”

• NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski just donated $50K to his alma mater, St. Bonaventure, to bolster their NIL efforts. He also promised to match another $50K in donations before the end of the season, which would amount to $150K in NIL for the school with less than 2,000 students.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Liam Clifford

Meet Liam Clifford, a talented wide receiver at Penn State University whose entrepreneurial drive led he and his brother to establish Limitless NIL over two years ago. Recognizing the challenge of student-athletes managing their own brand, Liam and his brother sought to bridge the gap by offering comprehensive support.

Limitless NIL operates on three key pillars: talent representation, marketing and content creation, and financial assistance in collaboration with their partners at Beacon Pointe Advisory. With a deep understanding of the student-athlete experience, Liam and his team are trying to empower athletes succeed both on and off the field.

”I am excited about the future of NIL,” said Liam, “When used in the correct ways, it can truly change an athlete’s life and his or her family.” 

NIL BLITZ

♦️ ESPN’s Greenberg says that NIL makes schools impatient with coaches

♦️ Arizona’s NIL situation is getting dire

♦️ Oregon State baseball player walks himself into a Bose Deal

♦️ On3’s Key Moments in NIL Timeline

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Will Caitlin Clark break Pistol Pete Maravich's scoring record before the Big 10 tournament? She's 98 points away with four games to go.

• Yes - 83%

• No - 17%