🏅 Olympic Sized Paychecks are coming this summer

Hey there,

I hope your weekend was good. There’s so much to catch up on this edition — the Division I Council’s new rules, the maddening Spring transfer portal, and even some Olympics talk. It’s all coming up right now!

But first, you should really check out our sponsor today, AdQuick. They make out-of-home advertising measurable and easy. Check them out below.

Give us feedback at [email protected] if you have any ideas for how we can make NIL Wire even better. It’s always much appreciated.

— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

🚨 Division I Council’s New Rules Are Here 🚨 

The DI Council passed a landscape-altering resolution last week that allows schools to assist with NIL activities directly. To this point, that was handled almost entirely by collectives, which operated almost as a proxy to the school itself. The policy will be enacted on the first day of August this year. 

That’s not the only resolution they passed, though. The Council also voted through changes to transfer rules – essentially scrapping the system in place before the recent Tennessee v. NCAA injunction took place. Players can now transfer as much as they want and play immediately at the school of their choice.

These are two of the most significant changes we’ve seen to date – changes that could dramatically alter how recruitment and player movement work at the college level. (More)

Olympic-Sized Paychecks Coming Soon

Arkansas’ track and field star Rachel Glenn is prepping for the Paris Olympics this summer, which means her NIL brand is at the forefront of her mind. She and her branding team at The Network Advisory have been slowly building her NIL portfolio, hoping that the publicity of the Olympics will vault her into even more business partnerships.

“I’m just trying to build on my resume on the track and add onto that through NIL,” Glenn said, “I am a walking advertisement, so I’m looking for ways to advertise myself for other brands.”

For track and field athletes, the Olympics represent perhaps the most significant upside in any sport. For one moment, the entire world watches them compete… and if they perform well, that performance will carry them financially for at least four years. (More)

April is “Hell Month” Now Due to No NIL Oversight

The NIL/transfer portal combination is already daunting and chaotic, but CBSSports’ Matt Norlander says the situation has never been more dire. Without oversight from the NCAA, one anonymous coach called April “the most unenjoyable month in all my years of coaching.” 

April – or “Hell Month,” as Norlander deemed it, has also seen NIL price tags soar: “Decent high-major starters are now asking double or triple in NIL $$$ vs. what top-10 guys in the portal were getting 2 yrs ago,” he said in a tweetstorm, “Some thought NIL collective 💵 might dwindle a tad. Instead, there are more people in NIL space than ever.” (More)

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VIDEO OF THE WEEK

Gov. Glenn Youngkin Signs Off on Massive NIL Law

Last week, Virginia passed a law that limits the NCAA’s power to stop schools from negotiating NIL directly with athletes. It’s the first law of its kind and a landmark moment in NIL’s legal history. Check out Governor Glenn Youngkin sign the monumental, era-defining bill into law:

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Corporate NIL Strategy Taking Form at Memphis

Since the policy’s infancy, NIL funding has primarily come from Big-time school donors and grassroots fundraising campaigns. However, a recent deal by FedEx is changing the script.

FedEx just pledged $25M in NIL to the University of Memphis. The funds will be distributed equally over the next five years and will support the school’s football and basketball teams, as well as a host of women's sports.

This sort of commitment is somewhat unprecedented in the NIL world, but at the same time, the partnership makes sense. The company is headquartered in Memphis, and chairman Fred Smith is a long-time donor to the Tigers – once even giving $50M to renovate the school’s football stadium. (More)

• Golf brand True Linkwear just launched its new True U NIL platform for young golfers. As part of the promotion, the company will offer nearly 100 young golfers NIL deals and identify ten coaches to serve as brand ambassadors.

• The list of the most followed student-athletes on social media looks awful familiar to those with the highest NIL value. The top-ten is headed by Bronny James, Livvy Dunne, and Angel Reese.

COLLECTIVE 101

Stanford’s Legendary Coach Spills on Collectives

Stanford has been an interesting NIL case study. Traditionally, the school has been reluctant to fully commit to NIL. More recently, however, they’ve flipped the script—earlier this month, the university announced an official relationship with Lifetime Cardinal as an official NIL collective partner.

Now, another development is adding wrinkles to this already complicated situation. The school’s legendary former women’s basketball coach, Tara VanDerveer, called NIL a “definite negative” at a recent conference, emphasizing that she sees NIL collectives as Title IX liabilities.

“I am a basketball coach, and now I have to be a CEO,” she said, presumably speaking for current college coaches, “At Stanford, I hired assistant coaches that are female… It’s important for us as women to have confidence in other women.” (More)

• Alabama’s NIL collective is going on tour with their coaches through April and May. The 3-city tour will feature football coach Kalen DeBoer and basketball coach Nate Oats talking directly to fans.

• Wisconsin’s collective has NIL beer on the way to support the school’s NIL. Over the last year, alcohol partnerships have become a mainstay strategy in the NIL fundraising world.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Connor Essegian

Meet Connor Essegian, the dynamic shooting guard whose journey from Wisconsin to Nebraska has basketball fans buzzing with anticipation. Despite facing challenges last season, Connor's passion for the game has propelled him forward.

As he transfers from Wisconsin to Nebraska, Connor is determined to return to the form of his freshman year, where he averaged 11.7 points per game with impressive shooting percentages. Beyond his on-court success, Connor is making waves in social media, securing NIL deals with iconic brands like Kwik Trip, TKO Miller, Milo's Sandwiches, and Badger Barstool. 

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Arizona football’s TikTok superstar Jack Luttrell signs on with American Eagle 

♦️ UConn’s legendary coach is worried that one-and-done is coming for women’s hoops

♦️ Wisconsin may pass high school NIL laws soon

♦️ Meet Jeffrey Kessler, the attorney who could break the NCAA

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Do you think international student-athletes should be able to utilize NIL by next football season?

• Yes - 58%

• No - 42%