🏅 Otter Tail and NIL

Hey there,

What if NIL could completely revamp a community? That’s what one county in Minnesota is banking on — they’re investing heavily into NIL to get people to move out of the city. We’ve also got updates on NIL and international students, Livvy Dunne’s record-breaking deal, and a former tech executive taking over NIL at a surprise school’s collective. It’s all coming up right now!

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KICK-OFF

Rural County using NIL to Attract Residents

We’ve never seen NIL utilized in the way this rural Minnesota county is using it. Otter Tail County – yes, that’s actually the name of the rural region – is paying athletes at the University of Minnesota to promote the county through NIL deals, hopefully enticing city-goers to move out to the country.

The business strategy goes as follows: young, mid-career professionals move to Minneapolis after attending the University of Minnesota. They follow the school’s athletes on social media – athletes like QB Max Brosmer – who then talk about how great rural life is in Otter County. Then, if everything goes according to plan, city folk are convinced to move out to the region.

Like we said, we’ve never seen NIL used like this before, but we’re intrigued by Otter County’s creativity. We’ll keep you updated on how this partnership works out. (More)

Senators Pen Letter to DHS for International NIL

Democrats and Republicans seem to be unified on one issue: international athletes should be able to utilize NIL. The issue became a national conversation when Purdue’s Canadian superstar Zach Edey spoke out on it during March Madness. 

Now lawmakers seem set on changing the policy by whatever means necessary. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D - CT) just wrote a letter to the Department of Homeland Security urging them to let international students profit off of their NIL. Lawmakers from across the aisle, including Sen. Pete Ricketts (R - NE) and Sen. Shelley Moore Capito (R - WV), also signed off on the letter.

There have also been recent NIL efforts from the legislative side as well. Representatives Valeria Foushee and Mike Flood introduced a bill earlier this month that could fix the problem, although there’s been little movement on it so far. (More)

Livvy Dunne Signs Record-Breaking NIL Deal

LSU’s Livvy Dunne has ranked near the top of NIL valuation lists ever since the policy shifted in 2021. Building her brand on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram, the gymnast remains one of the industry’s most important innovators today.

Well, she’s breaking barriers yet again. Dunne just signed a multi-million dollar NIL partnership with Passes, a platform that assists content creators to monetize more of their work. The deal is one of the largest NIL deals to date in terms of overall compensation.

To contextualize that price tag, Livvy Dunne currently holds the #2 highest NIL valuation in the country at $3.9M. If the deal is truly worth millions, we can expect a substantial valuation bump – maybe even overtaking Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders for the top spot. (More)

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BEST PRACTICES

The Importance of Social Media Marketing

Michigan track star Riley Ammenhauser is an NIL athlete who currently boasts a social media following nearing 200k. She’s signed major NIL deals with companies such as Peloton, Gatorade, and Lululemon as a result. In a recent interview with Sports Illustrated’s FanNation, Ammenhauser shared advice for other student-athletes looking to leverage their athletic success into NIL earnings. Her biggest piece of advice: use your social media to gain recognition.

“No matter the sport, if you enjoy social media and NIL post about the things you like,” she said, “Be an entrepreneur for yourself, reach out to small businesses, brands, and local businesses to really get a feel about the NIL landscape and score some deals. NIL is a learning process and the more you do it, the better you get at it, the more you understand. But, you have to start somewhere.”

Ammenhauser also emphasized the significance of developing positive relationships between yourself and the companies you collaborate with. Good relationships lead to additional opportunities for future NIL ventures, giving athletes extra chances to expand their NIL profiles. (More)

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Mixed Reactions About Recent UAB Football News

Last edition we told you about the entire football roster at UAB signing up for Athletes.org – a college sports players association founded by former INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale. In the days since, that news has garnered mixed reactions from around the country.

Some are worried that Cavale's previous venture could create a conflict of interest. The last time we heard from Teamworks – who bought Cavale’s former company INFLCR in 2019 – Cavale still had a role as an “advisor and shareholder” in the company, which would complicate his organizing efforts. However, he denies any current association with INFLCR.

“I don’t own INFLCR and I am not involved in it in any capacity,” Cavale said recently, but not everyone is buying it. Antitrust economist Andy Schwarz recently said Athletes.org “feels like a fake/company union,” to him. (More)

• Speaking of Teamworks, they just unveiled their new and improved Influencer Exchange, which will provide schools with a “public and searchable marketplace” to connect their athletes with NIL partners. One added feature is the ability to drive fans to sport-specific pages.

• Florida has officially joined the legal battle against the NCAA, following the lead of Tennessee, Virginia, and other states. The lawsuit revolves around the enforcement of recruiting violations in the NIL era.

COLLECTIVE 101

Stanford Adds Former Tech Exec to Collective

One of our favorite stories in the NIL world is the radical transformation Stanford has undergone in the last six months. Moving from reluctance to an “all-in” attitude, the Cardinal are rapidly gaining steam in the NIL world. 

Why not ride that momentum by hiring a former tech executive with 30 years of high-level business experience as their collective head? That’s exactly what they did when they inked a deal with Chip Hall this week. Hall has held senior positions at companies like Google, Yahoo, and Teracent.

Usually, we see collective heads hired from within the college sports world – but not this time. Stanford is betting that Hall’s business-first mindset will transfer seamlessly into the college sports landscape. Scroll down to our poll to let us know if you think his business acumen will work in college sports.(More)

• St. Joseph’s University is hosting an NIL fair to help facilitate relationships between the school’s athletes, collective, and local businesses. NIL fairs are a relatively underutilized strategy to this point, but smaller markets could potentially benefit greatly.

• Penn State’s collective hosted a golf tournament last week to raise NIL funds. The event is the first of a three-part NIL fundraising tour that will stop in Philadelphia and the Jersey shore, although there’s no word yet on whether Snooki will participate.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Samuel Phillips

Meet Samuel Phillips, the dynamic gymnast who's making waves in collegiate gymnastics. With a decorated career at Nebraska, including accolades like 1st team All-Big 10 and CGA Regular-Season All-American, Phillips has now joined the University of Illinois as a graduate transfer. Despite facing adversity due to injury, Phillips continued to inspire as team captain, leading by example both on and off the mat. 

Off the gymnastics floor, Phillips is a standout student-athlete, recognized for his academic excellence and commitment to community service. His impact extends beyond athletics, as he's leveraged his platform to secure impressive NIL deals with renowned brands like Movember, Stanley, Wish, Adidas, and more.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ On3 launches On3 HER sports vertical

♦️ Saint Louis University to get an NIL Store soon

♦️ Troy announces partnership with Spry for NIL compliance

♦️ Former UNC hooper Deja Kelly signs deal with Bazooka 

♦️ Camren Hunter says “opportunity” pushed him to Wisconsin, not NIL

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Answer commissioner Goodell's question: Who IS in charge of college football?

• The NCAA - 36%

• The Conferences - 64%