🏅 Shilo Sanders is trending up

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Hey there,

NIL is affecting the NBA draft — just like it did the NFL draft. That fact goes hand in hand with the skyrocketing value of college basketball players this offseason. Oh, and did we mention that Shilo Sanders is playing his father on a TV show? All of the latest NIL news is coming up now.

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KICK-OFF

Basketball Price Tags are Soaring

If you read Tuesday’s edition, you may have noticed that current transfer portal price tags seem higher than even six months ago. The cost of acquiring talent via the portal has never been higher – especially in basketball.

According to The Athletic, a power conference starter commands about $200K-$300K in NIL payments. That figure jumps to about $500K-$750K for an all-conference performer and then into the seven-figure range for premiere talents. 

The piece also quotes an anonymous source who says that rebuilding timelines have changed. Because premiere talents are available in the portal, a recently hired coach is expected to win sooner rather than later, drastically increasing pressure on each season. In sum, college basketball has never had higher stakes for everyone involved. (More)

NIL is Thinning Out the NBA Draft

Do you remember when we told you about how the NFL draft is getting thinner on talent because of NIL? Well, the same thing is true of the NBA draft now, too. Because more players are getting paid in school, fewer young stars are leaving after their freshman year.

The best way to see this trend is by looking at the massive drop-off in early entrants into the NBA draft. In 2021, there were 306 early entrants – that number dropped to 247 in 2022, then 198 last year. Now, only 174 U.S. college basketball players have declared as early entrants into the 2024 NBA draft.

To be clear, not all of these players will enter the draft. Early entrant status is about testing the waters to see how teams might value you. However, with NIL money waiting to be had, it makes more sense for many players to turn their attention back toward college instead. (More)

Shilo Sanders’ NIL Value is on the Rise

Colorado football’s Shilo Sanders – the (perhaps a tad less popular) son of Colorado coach Deion Sanders, has been tapped to play his own father in a new television show. The deal will not only pay him out, but could increase his long-term NIL visibility for the near future.

Just because Shilo isn’t as famous as his brother doesn’t mean he’s not an NIL superstar in his own right. He currently holds a $1.1M NI valuation, good for the twelfth-highest in college football.

He and his brother often appear in tandem for their NIL agreements, which only enhances both players’ values. The brothers even attended the Paris fashion show earlier this year, likely an attempt to further solidify their brands off the field. (More)

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WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

• Penn State loves James Franklin, but won’t equip him with enough top NIL resources to go “all in” 📉

• Kentucky’s NIL collective contributors enjoyed an NIL concert from John Legend, which helped rake in cash for Mark Pope’s program 📈 

• South Carolina’s converted QB-to-WR Luke Doty signed an NIL deal with a local law firm, which cites his personal character as the basis of the agreement 📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

NIL Store’s Top Ten Sellers for April

The NIL Store dropped its top ten best-selling schools for April, and Purdue remains at the top of the list. Buoyed by National Player of the Year, Zach Edey fans seem eager to buy his jersey before he leaves for the NBA.

The other schools on the list shouldn’t shock anyone: UConn came in at #2, Iowa at #3, and The LSU Tigers at #4. Some blue-bloods – like Duke and North Carolina – also snuck onto the list.

One interesting addition to the list was the Arkansas Razorbacks, who hired John Calipari as their coach at the beginning of April. Their ranking on this list proves how willing and able Razorback fans are to spend NIL money. (More)

•  Student Athlete NIL’s Jason Belzer called Washington’s deal with Great Osobor a “ridiculous overpayment” on Twitter – even suggesting that Osobor is receiving 4 to 5 times more money than similarly ranked players are getting in the portal.

• How much of the pie could athletes get with revenue sharing? Yahoo’s Ross Dellenger thinks the figure could get as high as $45M per school.

COLLECTIVE 101

Ranking the 30 Best College Football Facilities

Despite what many may say, college football programs can’t simply shower a recruit with NIL resources and expect them to commit to their school – there are other factors at play when landing recruits. That’s why this list, which ranks the top thirty facilities in the country, is probably important to look at.

Some surprises for me personally included the USC Trojans coming in at only #29 on the list, despite theoretically having massive amounts of cash at their disposal; The Michigan Wolverines, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, and Tennessee Volunteers ranking outside of the top fifteen, all behind the Maryland Terrapins; Ole Miss coming in at #24, despite being perhaps the best NIL school in the country.

I’m not going to spoil the top ten for you, but the top name might be a bit shocking, considering their lack of postseason success recently. (More)

• Now that the portal is closed, we can officially announce that Clemson was the only team not to take a singular transfer during the 2024 cycle. Important to remember here is that coach Dabo Swinney has been a highly vocal critic of NIL in the past.

• Baylor University announced this week that it has officially established an in-house NIL unit. As a Baylor alumnus, I couldn’t be more excited about this step.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Great Osobor

• School: University of Washington

• Sport: Basketball

• Class: Senior

• Accolades: Mountain West Conference Player of the Year

  • Averaged 17.7 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.4 blocks and 1.3 steals

  • Mountain West regular season champion.

• NIL: Osobor has NIL agreements in place that will give him the highest valuation in college basketball at $2 million.

NIL BLITZ

♦️ How Fox’s John Fanta thinks we should fix college basketball 

♦️ Ohio State running back signs a deal with Freightliner company

♦️ Nick Saban wants pro-union ads to stop using his words out of context

♦️ USC’s collective links with Bank of America for NIL deal focusing on financial literacy 

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Would you be supportive of a bill that granted the NCAA an antitrust exemption for college sports?

• Yes, without the NCAA getting legal protection, college sports as we know them are done - 49%

• No, the NCAA has been profiting off of athletes for years - 51%