An NIL Hotline, another NCAA lawsuit, and Michigan's revamp efforts

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Hey there,

This week has been hectic with NIL news. From trade summits, to lawsuits against the NCAA, and even a free truck giveaway, we’ve got updates on all the biggest stories from the week. Just keep reading to catch up on everything NIL from across the country!

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

Different Flavors of NIL Compensation

Via Twitter/X, On3 Founder Shannon Terry shed some light on the different “types” of NIL compensation currently happening in college sports – what he calls “Roster Value” NIL, and “True” NIL.

“Roster Value” NIL refers to how much money a collective can pony up to keep a player around. The better the player is, the more money the collective will pay them for their “NIL.” Usually, these deals will require minimal actual sponsorship effort on the part of the athlete, and rely heavily on the player’s actual talent level.

“True” NIL refers to the actual value of a player’s Name, Image, and Likeness in relation to their brand sponsorship potential. Bronny James is a perfect example of this type of NIL – he has not produced much value on the court yet, but is being paid millions of dollars to appear in commercials because of his personal brand. (More)

B1G and SEC join together to “fix” college Sports

The two biggest conferences in the country — the SEC and Big 10 — have created a joint advisory council in an effort to “fix” college sports. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey called the partnership a search for a “common sense solution” to the current problems with college athletics.

The biggest problem? Athlete compensation. The NCAA’s Project DI proposal isn’t exactly perfect in either conference’s eyes, and they’ve already started brainstorming on how to fix problems stemming from NIL.

“From our perspective, we have a lot that is linked to the NCAA,” said Sankey, “We want to see a healthy national organization. I think that’s very much a need.” (More)

Tennessee AG joins in suing NCAA

Just days after the University of Tennessee brought a lawsuit against the NCAA, Tennessee’s Attorney General filed a similar suit. Both lawsuits circle around the NCAA’s “NIL-recruiting ban,” to use the filing’s language. 

Attorney General’s case is this, taken directly from his statement to the press: “The NCAA’s restraints on prospective students’ ability to meaningfully negotiate NIL deals violate federal antitrust law. Only Congress has the power to impose such limits.”

This lawsuit – combined with the school’s own filing – could dictate whether the rules currently in place for NIL recruitment are actually legal, and possibly even uncap the current restrictions. (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! 

BEST PRACTICES

How to Level-Up your NIL through Social Media

We all know that social media is important to the NIL game, but in order to become an attractive sponsorship candidate, athletes have got to be proactive.

According to a Forbes article interview with NIL agent Trae Smith: “Valuation is closely tied to social media presence. The number of followers is key for the modern athlete to be considered for top NIL deals.” Smith also added that social media is the “precursor for success in NIL deals.”

We see a lot of NIL social media posts here at NIL Wire, and we’ve identified three focus areas to take an athlete’s social game to the next level.

• Professionalism - It’s not what kids in college want to hear, but it’s the best way for a company to know you mean business. If your social media has suggestive images or is completely overrun with memes, business opportunities may be harder to come by.

• Personal Expression - At the same time, you’re building a brand identity through social media, so make it your own. It can be professional, yet personal — Colorado DB Travis Hunter does a great job with striking this balance between personality and professionalism.

• Open For Business - For many companies, social media is the only way to get in touch with a student-athlete. Being “open for business” means inviting potential partners to contact you through social channels and being quick to respond to their inquiries.

Let’s be clear here: none of these strategies guarantee an NIL deal. However, having a good social media strategy will make brands and businesses want to do business with you, which is what NIL is all about.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

NIL Hotline Bling

Temple University’s law school is opening a legal advice hotline for young Philadelphians to get insight on all things NIL. The free service will serve both high school and college athletes in the Philadelphia area – both groups are allowed to utilize their NIL according to state law.

The NIL hotline comes as part of a larger NIL initiative from Philadelphia city council-member Isaiah Thomas.

“The problem is, where there’s money, there’s abuse, and there are people that are willing to take advantage of athletes,” said Temple law professor Ken Jacobsen about the importance of the hotline program, “You have people who want to sign athletes to deals, but if you don’t read the fine print, they’re signing away their rights for their lifetime.” (More)

• The Athletes Organization, which calls itself “The players association for college athletes” just announced their board of directors. The impressive roster includes sports law guru Mit Winter, former Syracuse basketball coach Jim Boeheim, and many more college athletics industry titans.

• Former NBA player Roger Mason Jr. recently joined Oaktree Solutions, a public affairs firm with intentions to get into the NIL world. Mason, who most recently served as commissioner of the Big3 league, is looking to become a business mentor to young talent with NIL potential.

COLLECTIVE 101

“Moore” Money, Less Problems

If anyone questioned whether Michigan would be able to keep up their NIL funding post-Jim Harbaugh, they may have just received their answer. Newly minted head coach Sherrone Moore made it clear he intends to expand every facet of the Wolverine’s NIL advantage under his leadership.

What’s expansion look like? Well, for starters, Moore intends on being more active than his predecessor with NIL collective events. The school is also reportedly looking to hire a prominent NIL consulting firm to double down on NIL operations. (More)

• The Collective Association just met in Orlando, kicking off the trade organization’s first ever two-day summit. In light of the Tennessee lawsuit, discussions centered around NIL recruitment, with some contending it may be best to have a completely unregulated NIL marketplace.

• Wisconsin’s star safety Hunter Wohler announced he was returning to school for his senior season on social media… and very soon after the announcement, he was gifted a 2022 Ram truck from a local dealer. Looks like the Badgers are taking care of their guys with NIL.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Riley White

Meet Riley White, pole vaulting sensation at the University of Alabama and a top athlete creator with over 790K followers. Riley's not just dominating the field; she's also securing impressive NIL deals with brands like Dunkin Donuts and Owala Water Bottles. With her engaging content and charming personality, Riley is inspiring fans to chase their dreams while showcasing her success both in sports and on social media. Watch this video to learn more about the reigning ultimate Queen of the South.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ What Victoria Jackson wanted to say during last month’s NIL hearing

♦️ Nebraska’s Lexy Rodriguez signs on with USCellular

♦️ Paige Bueckers may return to UConn because of NIL

♦️ Texas’ superstar signee signs a deal with local Volkswagen dealer

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

What's the biggest rivalry in college sports?

• Ohio State vs Michigan football - 48%

• Duke vs North Carolina basketball - 14%

• Alabama vs Auburn football - 14%

• Army vs Navy football - 24%