🏅Players aren’t the only ones who want NIL promises

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Hey there,

Let’s not beat around the bush – we’ve got too much news to get to today.

First, coaches aren’t just leaving their schools for higher salaries anymore… they’re chasing NIL promises too. Then, sports investors told us what they’re bullish on in 2025 – and of course, tons of it involves college sports. Lastly, why basketball-centered schools are going to have a huge advantage in the rev-share era. All of that and more is coming up real soon.

We have a new special advertiser today Dealmaker Sports, check out how they are going to change the game when it comes to fandom-fueled fundraising.

Have a friend that might like NIL Wire? Forward this edition to them so that everyone can get in on the madness. We appreciate your support so much — now let’s get into it!

— Cole and Collin

The Big 3

Coaches Want NIL Promises

The way to lure an elite coach to your school isn’t by increasing their salary anymore – NIL investment promises are becoming an increasingly crucial part of the equation for most top candidates. The logic is simple: How can a guy win if they’re unable to recruit quality players?

“It always used to be, ‘What do I have in facilities and recruiting and assistant salary pool’” an anonymous source explained to USA Today about the recruiting process, “But now it’s, ‘How much can I spend on player acquisition?’”

For an example, look no further than coach Darian DeVries, who left West Virginia for Indiana less than a month ago thanks to promises of an increased NIL budget. Indiana spent $5 million in the portal alone last year… meanwhile, he was working with $3 million total in Morgantown season. (More)

Sports Investors are Bullish on College Sports in 2025

Forbes recently asked investors, bankers, and business leaders where they see value in the sports markets in 2025. Two of their “buys” for year? Influencer-driven sports media content and women’s sports.

Let’s break those two down. Influencer-driven sports media is sort of why companies like Barstool are successful – you’re leveraging a personality, like Dave Portnoy, for media success. You know what else falls under this label? Well NIL branding of course, which companies are now recognizing as super lucrative advertising investments. 

Women’s sports, specifically women’s college sports, have been surging for the last few years – advertisers spent nearly $250 million on women’s sports in 2024, and in 2025 global revenue for women’s sports is projected to hit over $2.3 billion. (More)

Basketball Schools Could Win the Rev-Share Era

In the rev-share era, schools will have to pick their priorities pretty carefully, because there will be tradeoffs. That fact has some people thinking that basketball-centered schools, such as those competing in the Big East, may actually enjoy disproportionate benefits in the NIL era.

It’s pretty simple when you think about why – most big schools care about football over everything. Paying for a 105-man roster will eat up a whole lot of that money pretty quickly, and then you’ve got lingering Title IX concerns, so you’re going to want to pay out women’s sports as well. Where, exactly, is the basketball money coming from then?

Take Georgia as an example. They’ve already announced how they’re divvying up payments: about $15 million is going to football, while only about $3.3 million of the $20 million rev-share cap will go toward men’s basketball. Meanwhile, schools that don’t care about, or don’t even have, football teams will likely spend over 50% on men’s basketball alone. (More)

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The New Playbook: X’s, O’s, and $hares

The NCAA vs. House Act showdown is set — with a final ruling expected April 7th. If it goes through, schools could face a staggering $22 million hit tied to NIL-era legal and financial aftershocks.

It’s a wake-up call for universities navigating the complex, high-stakes world of NIL — but they don’t have to face it alone.

Enter DealMaker: the game-changing online capital-raising platform reshaping how collegiate athletic programs fund their future.

Forget relying on the same handful of top donors or dipping into endowment funds — that’s a last resort. DealMaker empowers schools to tap into a new era of fandom-fueled fundraising, bridging the gap between major donors and everyday supporters: students, alumni, and loyal fans alike.

The result? A stronger, more connected community of supporters who aren’t just cheering from the stands — they’re investing in their team’s future.

🏟️ Facility upgrades? Covered.
🎓 Scholarships? Funded.
🏅 Team development? Fueled.

With DealMaker, athletic programs unlock new capital streams, driving engagement, financial stability, and generational fandom — building lifelong loyalty that lasts far beyond the final whistle.

The future of collegiate sports belongs to programs that adapt. Ready to lead the charge? Learn more about how DealMaker is helping athletic departments secure their future and redefine what’s possible.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ Here’s how Florida’s 7’9 center is expanding his NIL brand

♦️ K-State star wishes his NIL deal numbers were never publicized

♦️ BYU just re-signed forward Richie Saunders to a new deal that pays out Tater Tots after wins

♦️ Deion Sanders wants to Colorado’s spring game to be against another team, as well as add joint practices – just like the NFL

♦️ This former Penn State D-lineman is now back at the school in an NIL role b

♦️ NC State just hired an OKC Thunder scout to be their basketball GM b

♦️ Here’s how Gonzaga is approaching their jump to the Pac-12 from an NIL perspective

♦️ Illinois’ Attorney General is saying that the Big Ten’s media rights deal must be made public

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