🏅 Ohio State just started an NIL collective chapter... in Miami

Hey there,

An NIL company arms race. A dying army of college football analysts. Oh, and a VIP chapter in Miami for… Ohio State? This edition of NIL Wire is wilder than most – keep scrolling to see why.

Oh — before all of that, we wanted to remind you that we’ve got a great interview coming up tomorrow — you won’t want to miss it.

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

An NIL Industry Arms Race

With college sports on the verge of irrevocable change, the industry surrounding student-athlete compensation has been forced to adapt. Two companies – Opendorse and Basepath – seem keen on taking advantage of those changes.  

Both companies just announced new technology that aims to help schools transition into front-office roles. Opendorse’s new “Fair Market Value” solution is designed to determine an athlete’s market value, which in turn aids the school in allocating funds.

Basepath, meanwhile, has unveiled “Basepath General Manager” software, which will also provide market-driven insights to help athletic departments distribute their money effectively. It seems the two companies are in an arms race.

Farewell, “Analyst Armies”

Because of the House settlement, budget cuts are expected to sweep athletic departments nationwide. Of course, every sport will be affected by those cuts… but college football is likely to take the biggest hit simply because of how massive football staffs have become in recent years. The days of “analyst armies” are likely coming to a close.

Former Alabama head coach Nick Saban started this analyst revolution not too long ago. By hiring former coaches to serve in specialized capacities for his teams, Saban created a brain trust in Tuscaloosa that culminated in on-field success.

But that success comes at a price – literally. In 2023, Alabama spent $1M on analysts alone. We're always looking for opportunities to be more efficient,” Alabama’s athletic director Greg Byrne said, “[But] we're in a new world, and we have to adjust to that.” (More)

HOKA’s Long Term Bet on NIL

HOKA’s late push into the NIL marketing sphere has been extremely successful. In late 2023, the company took a risk by investing in the high school cross-country championships in San Diego. Months later, they’re reaping the rewards as these high-school studs commit to massive universities. 

“HOKA’s NIL strategy is really smart,” sports commentator Jordan Rodgers said about the company, “They created an amazing atmosphere for those cross-country athletes in San Diego.”

Part of HOKA’s NIL strategy is to partner their athletes with mentors. By creating relationships between the older and younger generations of runners, the fanbases of more established stars are able to converge upon the next generation – which HOKA is hoping to produce high-yield long-term outcomes. (More)

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Texas’ Controversial Recruiting Tactic

College football recruiting has changed a lot over the years, but there’s one truism that’s held up for decades: recruits love sports cars. That’s why the Texas Longhorns lined up multiple Lamborghinis outside of their facilities to greet defensive lineman Josiah Sharma.

Their recruitment tactics haven’t been popular online though. What do you think — Is this type of recruiting just fun and games, or a legitimate problem for college football? Vote on our poll at the end of the edition.

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Corporate Logos Will Be on College Football Fields

It’s official. As of late last week, college football fields will display corporate logos on the field. The change – which we hinted at earlier this month – is a direct result of the House settlement, which will ask schools to pay millions in settlement money over the next decade. 

While few fans seem to support the move, no one denies the necessity for this change. Also, as a silver lining, some fanbases are getting creative in discussing which company they’d like their school to partner with:

Will corporate sponsorships on the field affect the game aesthetically? Absolutely. But just like when the NBA added sponsorship patches to their jerseys – which resulted in almost $300M in revenue last season – college football fans will likely settle into this new reality rather quickly. (More)

• The NIL Store released its Top 10 best-selling stores for May. UConn and Purdue once again took the top spots, followed by a host of SEC and Big Ten schools.

• It’s not just analysts – college football roster sizes are also expected to shrink amidst budget cuts. The math is somewhat simple: Fewer players mean fewer resources being spent.

COLLECTIVE 101

Ohio State Opens “VIP” Collective Chapter in Miami

Miami, Florida, just bleeds glitz and glamour. With big-money donors on seemingly every block, the Ohio State Buckeyes have decided to expand its NIL influence directly into South Beach. The school’s collective just launched a “VIP” chapter in Miami, which is expected to facilitate annual fundraisers and dinners with high-roller fans throughout the city.

“We want to be able to facilitate more meetings and more interactions with the university and the program that the fans down here love,” said Elie Deshe, who spearheads the collective’s Florida chapter, “I think it’s cool, too, that players down here see that. They’re sort of almost caught off guard by how much support there is for Ohio State down here. I’m In Miami, but it really goes throughout the entire state.” (More)

• Thanks to the school’s collective, Syracuse restaurant patrons can round up their bill to support the university’s NIL program at various places around town.

• Iowa State’s Rocco Becht is partnering with the school’s collective to fund a youth football camp in the community. Better yet – apparently the whole event was the QB’s idea.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Parker Valby

• School: University of Florida

• Sport: Track & Field 

• Class: Redshirt Junior 

• Accolades: 

• 2024 SEC Outdoor Champion (5000m)

• 2024 NCAA Indoor Champion (5000m)

• 2024 NCAA Indoor Champion (3000m)

• 2024 SEC Indoor Champion (3000m)

• 2024 SEC Indoor Champion (DMR)

• NIL: Parker Valby has signed an NIL deal with Nike and will continue running for the University of Florida next year. KIMA Athletics, the agency that is representing her, announced the signing.

  

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ After the Lakers saga, Dan Hurley has decided to stay at UConn. I guess the Rev-share pill isn’t too big to swallow after all

♦️ Missouri commit signs an NIL deal that will give him a Dodge challenger for the rest of his high school career

♦️ Texas Rep. Colin Allred says he wants to balance player compensation and protecting their financial futures with legislation

♦️ FCS schools like Elon University project to pay around $280,000 annually as part of House settlement

♦️ Black Student-Athlete Summit stresses financial literacy as crucial in new era of college sports

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Would Dan Hurley be smart to leave UConn for the NBA?

• Yes — it’s more money, less time-consuming, and the league is stable - 55%

• No — he probably has a lifetime contract at UConn, and a chance for a Threepeat! - 45%