🏅Which school spends the most on NIL?

Hey there,

How was your Super Bowl Sunday? Let me tell you briefly about mine. Because I lost my fantasy football league this year, my punishment was that I wasn’t allowed to watch the Super Bowl – instead, I had to attend a ballet. So hopefully you had fun with it. I, on the other hand, am just looking forward to binging some college hoops to make up for it.

Oh, and congrats to the Eagles. I’m a Cowboys fan, so a lot of ego-death goes into me saying that. 

Today’s crop of NIL news spans far and wide. First, On3 asked NIL Collectives a few questions – who’s the smartest NIL spender, biggest spender, and more. We’re giving you their answers. Next, one congressman wants an investigation into how athletics spending affects the price of college tuition. Lastly, how Penn State is betting on dominance, not NIL, to sustain their reign as a wrestling powerhouse. It’s all coming up now – let’s go!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

The Biggest NIL Spenders, According to Collective Heads

On3 just surveyed anonymous collective heads and athletics staffers on a variety of NIL-related topics. One of the questions they asked? Which school spent the most money on their 2025 class.

Some respondents provided multiple schools in their answers, but there were three schools that stood out as the clear “biggest spenders”: Texas, Ohio State, and Oregon. Texas A&M also got some love with two mentions, while Tennessee, Auburn, and Nebraska all got mentioned once.

The respondents were also asked who spends their NIL money the smartest. The overwhelming answer? The Georgia Bulldogs. “Kirby [Smart] really leaned into some old-school stuff in getting guys to come at a discount,” said one respondent. (More)

Does NIL Drive Tuition Price Up?

Rep. Tim Walberg (R-Mich) is curious about where all this money is coming from in college sports – and how much the federal government is subsidizing these costs. He’s even requesting an investigation to find out whether NIL expenses are making it harder for students to financially attend college.

His intuition here is that athletics spending is driving up the cost to attend universities. Walberg is also curious as to how Title IV, which distributes need-based financial assistance, “subsidizes these [athletic] costs through students’ tuition and fees.” 

It’s unclear whether this investigation will even take place – especially after the Department of Education’s recent dismantling. But such a study could provide clarity on how much federal funding is contributing to the college athletics marketplace. (More)

Can PSU’s Wrestling Dominance Continue without NIL?

Penn State has built a college wrestling powerhouse over the years. Does the advent of NIL change that? Coach Cael Sanderson seems to think the program’s dominance speaks for itself.

"When kids are in our program, we’re going to do our best to take care of them,” he said to the media, but adding, “We’re not going to get anybody because of NIL money. That just goes against what we believe.” 

As of the current moment, the college wrestling NIL market is much smaller than that of, say, football, so perhaps some athletes see more potential in becoming the best wrestler than making the most money. However, the NIL marketplace has dictated recruiting success in most other sports, Sanderson is taking on substantial risk to think his program could be the exception. (More)

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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Justin Hill  

• School: Wichita State

• Sport: Basketball

• Position: Guard

• Class: Senior

• Accolades: 

• Appeared in 37 games for Georgia in 2023-24, averaging 9.5 points and 3.2 assists per game on 37.9% shooting

• Scored 10+ points in 17 games, with a season-high 21 points against Wake Forest in the NIT

• Helped lead Georgia to the NIT Semifinals

• Averaged 8.6 points and 2.7 assists as a junior at Georgia

• Scored over 1,000 career points, including two seasons at Longwood where he averaged 12.7 points per game and earned All-Big South honors

• NIL: The exact figures of Justin Hill’s NIL earnings remain undisclosed, but estimates suggest that he could be earning anywhere from a few thousand to hundreds of thousands of dollars annually.

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Here’s how the lawsuits against Billy Napier and Leonard Hamilton are challenging sovereign immunity laws in Florida 

♦️ Colorado says keeping NIL contracts secret would help student athlete’ mental health

♦️ How Texas flipped a Georgia commit: “Just a straight-up better NIL package”

♦️ Former NFL head coach Ron Rivera is taking a “general-manager-like” role with his alma mater, Cal Football

♦️ Butler Athletics just received a $12 million gift from a super-trustee – with most of it going to the University’s women’s athletics programs

♦️ The practice players for South Carolina women’s basketball just signed an NIL deal

♦️ LSU raised over $3 million in NIL as part of Brian Kelly’s million-dollar match campaign

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

How high will Arch Manning's NIL valuation go by the end of his Texas career?

• Stay the same, $6.5 million - 20%

• Slightly higher, $7 million - 27%

• Much higher, $8 million - 28%

• To the moon, $10 million - 25%