🏅NIL has coaches retiring and getting sued

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Hey there,

Some coaches are retiring because of NIL, and others are being sued over broken NIL promises. The Dartmouth basketball team is dropping its years-long unionization effort. There’s so much going on in the NIL world that it’s hard to keep up… but good news! That’s why we’re here. We’re going to walk you through the NIL news one step at a time, and break down what’s really going on underneath the surface. Sound good? Let’s get on with it!

Look: in 2025, we want to be the best version of ourselves, just like you. We’d love to hear feedback on anything and everything about our newsletter. Hit reply or send us an email at [email protected] to get in touch. Thanks for reading!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

Leonard Hamilton is Getting Sued over NIL Promises

Six former Florida State basketball players are suing the school’s head coach, Leonard Hamilton over not making good on NIL compensation packages. The lawsuit alleges that Hamilton’s “business partners” promised each of them $250K in NIL compensation, and they haven’t received a dime. 

This isn’t the first time we’ve seen an issue like this arise. Last fall, UNLV’s Matthew Sluka entered the transfer portal after receiving no NIL compensation for his play to start the season. The lawsuit also calls to mind the infamous case between Jaden Rashada and Billy Napier.

This lawsuit could have cascading effects throughout the college sports world. In recent months, there’s been an increased sensitivity around how NIL contracts are structured, and whether or not some NIL recruiting efforts can be categorized as somewhat predatory. (More)

Dartmouth Basketball Stops Unionization Effort

In a shocking turn of events, the Dartmouth basketball team has officially withdrawn its NLRB petition to unionize. The decision comes in the wake of Donald Trump’s election – which the players believe will affect proceedings with the NLRB. 

This is a rather abrupt ending to a story we’ve been covering since the very beginning of NIL Wire. Dartmouth basketball’s unionization effort was championed by supporters as a massive win for the student-athlete-employment cause. They will, however, continue to push for a Players Association:

We literally just predicted this in our 2025 predictions piece, and also talked about it at length in relation to Donald Trump’s election back in November. (More)

Miami Basketball Coach Calls it Quits over NIL

Yet another basketball coach has cited NIL as the reason for his retirement: Miami’s Jim Larrañaga decided to hang up the whistle after coaching the Hurricanes for over a decade. He led the team to their first Final Four in school history in 2023.

Apparently, the primary reason for his frustration was seeing a mass exodus from the program less than two years after making the Final Four. He was apparently “shocked…beyond belief” when eight players entered the transfer portal last year.

“I’m exhausted,” he said of his retirement, “I’ve tried every which way to keep this going… The opportunity to make money someplace else created a situation that you have to begin to ask yourself as a coach: What is this all about?” (More)

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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Quinn Ewers

• School: University of Texas

• Sport: Football 

• Class: Junior 

• Accolades: 

• A third-year quarterback who has played in and started 22 games

• 5,656 career passing yards rank eighth all-time in Texas history and 37 career passing touchdowns are tied for seventh

• 2023 AP All-Big 12 Second Team selection

• 2023 Big 12 Championship Game Most Outstanding Player 

• Davey O’Brien Award 2023 semifinalist

• honorable mention Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year in 2022 .

• NIL: Quinn Ewers has landed NIL deals with EA College Football 25, Nicholas Air, Champs Sports, Hey Dude Shoes, C4 Energy, and 7eleven. 

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Despite reports, NCAA head Charlie Baker is not running for Senate 

♦️ Here’s how Snoop Dog’s bowl game is giving NIL opportunities to the participating players

♦️ SDSU is using NIL to support a local food pantry

♦️ Ohio State’s Will Howard gave his teammates TVs for the holidays as part of his newest NIL agreement

♦️ The IRS is already starting their crackdown on nonprofit NIL entities

♦️ Maryland is spending about $3 million on their basketball team with NIL

♦️ Women’s volleyball had incredible viewership in 2024, pointing toward a burgeoning NIL market

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Which conference will the National Champion come from?

• SEC - 27%

• Big Ten - 32%

• Big 12 - 14%

• Mountain West - 10%

• Independent - 17%