🏅The NIL numbers behind Ohio State's National Championship

Hey there,

It’s an Ohio State-heavy edition of NIL Wire. I know, I know – we all hate the Buckeyes for winning it this year.

But the numbers behind their win are truly staggering, both in terms of individual NIL payouts, as well as the school’s total spend on football. Then, after that, we’ve also got an update on the TikTok ban, and how that might affect the NIL marketplace. It’s all coming up soon – let’s dive in.

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The Big 3

Jeremiah Smith’s NIL Valuation Next Season: 📈 📈 📈 

Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith just pieced together one of the greatest freshman receiving campaigns we’ve ever seen – including a catch that sealed off Notre Dame’s hopes of making a comeback in the National Championship game. His NIL valuation next season will rise substantially as a result — he’s reportedly being offered $4.5 million to enter the transfer portal.

Some reports have his valuation set at $3 million, but according to On3, he’s been well above that figure – about $3.7 million – since December. He’s now listed around $4 million in the On3 database, the fifth-highest valuation in all of college sports. 

The only potential threat to his crown as the highest-valued wide receiver is Alabama’s Ryan Williams, who likewise put together a sensational freshman season. If Alabama can return to powerhouse status next season, both players could be knocking on the door of $4 million. (More)

The Numbers Behind Ohio State’s Win 💰️ 

The National Championship game wasn’t just big for fans – it was also big for business. Here are some of the numbers behind Ohio State’s win against Notre Dame. 

Ohio State spent $20 million in NIL on their championship roster, which is just a drop in the bucket compared to their annual athletic budget of nearly $300 million. Ryan Day alone received a $1 million bonus for winning the Natty – and each of his main coordinators received over $700K as well.

The entire Big Ten was rooting for Ohio State – even Michigan, although they’d never admit it. Why? Because the conference received a $46 million payout as a result of the win, and each school in the conference was given $2.6 million. Not too shabby for simply being in a conference with the National Champion. (More)

The TikTok Ban and NIL

Years ago, Donald Trump proposed banning TikTok, citing national security concerns as his reasoning due to the company’s ties with China. Now he’s leading a crusade to save the platform, despite the Supreme Court’s upholding the ban. The ban has been temporarily staved off, but it’s unclear if the President will be able to save the app.

Why am I talking about this on NIL Wire? Well, because TikTok is one of the biggest money-makers in the NIL community. If TikTok goes dark in the U.S., so too do the NIL marketing capacities of many college athletes.

Because TikTok attracts young people primarily, college-athletes – think Livvy Dunne – have built huge platforms on the app. If the app goes away forever, the best these student-athletes can hope for is that their fans will follow them over to other social media platforms, like Instagram. (More)

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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Braden Smith

• School:Purdue 

• Sport: Basketball

• Position: Guard

• Class: Junior 

• Accolades: 

• First-team All-Big Ten and Honorable Mention All-America accolades.

• Named one of five finalists for the Cousy Award, given to the nation's top point guard.

• Averaged 12.0 points, 7.5 assists, 5.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals per game, while playing a school-record 1,327 minutes and starting all 39 games.

• NIL: He recently topped the NIL Store’s charts as the highest earner in July—the only basketball player to do so.

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Despite winning the National Title, there’s very little NIL memorabilia available from the Ohio State football team

♦️ Ohio State RB donated $1K for every touchdown he scored in the National Championship 

♦️ Indiana athletics just laid off 25 staffers as the first wave of rev-share budget cuts hits

♦️ Here’s how Trump might reshape the sports industry entirely

♦️ UNC’s general manager Mike Lombardi is teaching athletes to negotiate their NIL salaries

♦️ Notre Dame affirms their preference to be independent with new CFP format

♦️ Nick Saban wants NIL competitive balance in college football… but how?

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Should Title IX apply to Rev-Sharing, in your opinion?

• Yes - 61%

• No - 39%