🏅 Price Tags Rise and a Vegas Surprise

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Is the Las Vegas NIL Tournament in danger of not happening? Is the NIL market for college basketball players overvalued? And why did Ohio State’s AD say some schools may operate like “club sports” in the future? Those answers, and more, are coming up right now.

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The Big 3

CBB Coaches Reveal Crazy NIL Price-Tags

We’ve known that NIL price tags have ballooned over the last year, but it might surprise you to know how much they’ve risen. According to polling data from CBS Sports, more than 50% of college basketball coaches reported a player asking their school for over $1 million in NIL.

It gets crazier, too. That 50% figure accounts for all levels of college basketball, but if we just focus on the Power conferences, the number leaps to 77% of college coaches reporting a $1 million-or-more price tag. The largest reported number was $5 million for a single player.

The prevailing sentiment seems to be that players are expecting more than they’re worth. One coach said that the school was expected to pony up $400K to secure a transfer player who had averaged about five points the prior year in a mid-major program. (More)

Beats by Dre Signs 11 CFB Studs to Roster

Beats by Dre just announced their 2024 college football “class” – a group of players that have been tapped to rep the brand through NIL endorsement opportunities. Check out the company’s initial promo:

It’s a star studded group of players – including Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart. Only four non-QBs made the roster: Texas WR Johntay Cook II, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Michigan DB Will Johnson, and Georgia DB Malaki Starks.

Beats continues to pour money into NIL marketing, proving the college market has been a successful investment. In years past, they’ve inked partnerships with big-time NIL players like Bijan Robinson, Bronny James, and Drew Timme. (More)

Is the Las Vegas NIL Basketball Tourney in Danger?

The NCAA sent out a memo last week that casts doubt on the viability, or even permissibility, of the NIL-fueled Las Vegas college basketball tournament scheduled for later this year.

In the memo, the NCAA reiterated that paying athletes for simply participating in a multiple team event (like this tournament) is “impermissible,” according to its bylaws. The event’s organizers are trying to skirt this by paying the schools’ collectives the money, which they’ll presumably then distribute to their athletes.

The mere fact that the NCAA decided to send the memo means they’re skeptical about the tournament. Considering the tournament has yet to reveal its broadcast partners or event sponsors, maybe there’s more doubt about the tournament’s viability than previously thought. (More)

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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Aiden Birr

• School: Georgia Tech

• Sport: Football

• Position: Kicker

• Class: Redshirt Sophmore

 Accolades: 

• Aidan Birr was an Honorable Mention Freshman All-America by College Football News, with a .895 field-goal percentage—the second-highest in Georgia Tech history and the highest by a freshman.

• He made 17 of 19 field goals and 37 of 38 PATs, leading Georgia Tech with 88 points, the most ever by a Tech freshman and the sixth-most kicking points in single-season history.

• Birr made 7 field goals of 40+ yards, the most by a Yellow Jacket since Harrison Butker in 2016, including a streak of 11 consecutive successful kicks mid-season.

• He debuted in the second game of the season, took over full-time kicking duties in Week 3, and finished the season strong with four straight successful kicks in the Gasparilla Bowl win over UCF.

• NIL: He’s used The Tech Way Georgia Tech’s NIL collective to kick off his NIL journey.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ The University of Houston is discussing whether they could liquidate-then-loan a piece of their endowment to pay back damages over the next ten years.

♦️ Alabama is paying their new GM $825K a year, but he’s still making less than eight ‘Bama coaches

♦️ Dartmouth’s basketball team union files an unfair labor practice charge in court

♦️ NCAA fires back at recent legal objections to the House Settlement

♦️ Silver Waves media just released their list of the 70 most impactful people in the NIL space

♦️ Ohio State AD: “[Some] sports may start to look and act a little bit more like a club sport, but yet compete at the Division I level.”

♦️ Coach Prime will be wearing Aflac-branded coaching headsets this season as part of a deal with the school

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Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Will Saudi Arabia eventually invest in college football NIL deals?

• Yes - 63%

• No - 37%