Snickers, Sun Angels, and Saban's Jokes

Hey there,

It’s Saturday, which means two things: college football and NIL Wire. Could the day get any better? We’ve got a ton to talk about today, like Florida’s impending high school NIL decision, and a discussion on whether NIL has produced parity in college football.

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

Florida Eyes NIL for High School

Mere hours after Georgia passed NIL regulation for high school athletes, rumblings started coming from the other side of the Florida-Georgia line about the same thing. “The concept and idea of amateur sports is over and done with,” Bay High School football coach Jeremy Brown said, “It’s not the same and it’ll never it’ll never be the same again.”

What could Florida legislation look like? As the FHSAA begins the drafting process, they’re expected to take successful ideas from other states on how to regulate NIL. If the trend continues, it’ll likely result in a patchwork of legislation from around the country. Perhaps we’ll see more Maryland style bans on establishing high school collectives, or Missouri-style commitment advantages to boost in-state colleges.

We don’t quite know how Florida will structure their proposal, but in waiting as long as they have, the Sunshine State gets the advantage of picking and choosing the most effective regulations possible. (More)

Has NIL Brought College Football Parity?

When the NIL floodgates first opened, many became skeptical of what effect it would have on team parity in college sports, specifically football. One side remained certain that the new policy would only exacerbate the talent gap between top programs and everywhere else, while the other insisted that NIL would actually narrow that same gap. Well, with the limited sample size we have, the returns thus far have supported the second group’s theory.

“Part of the commentary has revolved around the theory that the rich would get richer and the divide between the powerful institutions and those beneath would only widen,” Darren Heitner said, a sports attorney in Florida, “That could not be further from the truth.”

He’s not wrong. It’s been a rough year for the perennial football powers of the last decade – Alabama, LSU, and Clemson have all been hurt by a depleted talent pool leaving for greener pastures. With such high rates of turnover, sustained success from year to year has never been harder to maintain. (More)

Bolstering the Brand

Deion Sanders transcends college football. You may not like him, but no one can deny that the NFL Hall of Famer has a knack for creating intrigue around the Colorado Buffs. Point and case: Colorado’s merchandise sales have skyrocketed since his tenure, up 1,220% from just last year. Out of state applications to CU have soared as well – up 40%. Their Instagram following has even gone from 58K to over ONE million.

This hype has NIL ramifications. In a world where a strong brand converts into real money, college recruits have been swarming to Colorado for Coach Prime. Seemingly overnight, he’s turned Colorado into an NIL powerhouse as his own brand becomes intertwined with whoever suits up for him. (More)

Driving Value

A few editions ago, we told y’all about the growing NIL potential in golf; well, Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett may be the poster child of that emerging NIL market. He finished as the top amateur in the 2023 Masters, but because of his amateur status, couldn’t take home any winnings… except NIL profits.

Because of his ability to make money off of his name, image, and likeness, Bennett was able to translate his performance into money through NIL deals. “(NIL) is helping the game,” Bennett said in an interview with the Clarion Ledger, “It’s helping athletes. It’s good for college.” (More)

Opendorse’s NIL Bowl Game

To this point, Opendorse has established itself as one of the premiere players in the NIL landscape. Their athlete endorsement platform has, in many ways, democratized athlete’s ability to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. As a result, it should come as no surprise that the company is finding new ways to dig out NIL opportunities.

They announced a partnership with the Duke’s Mayo Bowl that will help players participating in the bowl game to “maximize” their NIL opportunities. Opendorse will be connecting players with opportunities all around the Charlotte area in the first bowl-game specific NIL marketplace.

“CSF and the Duke’s Mayo Bowl are setting the standard for providing student-athletes NIL opportunities during big games,” Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence explained, “This is a game-changer for how easy it is to support your favorite athlete during bowl season.” (More)

Utah Collective Gets a New Perspective

Utah’s Crimson Collective made headlines last week when they brokered a deal that gifted every scholarship player a new truck. Well, the Utes aren’t stopping there. The NIL collective just announced a deal with For The Win 360°, a streaming app that will give top-of-the-line video access to Utah fans everywhere.

The platform figures to put Utah players in the spotlight for fans for better- than-ever access. One way to think of the deal is as a way of elevating the athlete profiles, making them more approachable to fans than ever. The app will also give behind-the-scenes content and game recaps – an overall win for any Utah fan looking for a “360 degree” perspective on the team. (More)

Sun Angel Sweepstakes

Arizona State’s Sun Angel Collective is taking a unique approach to get fans excited about ASU athletics. They just partnered with Rivals Media to launch a free mobile sweepstakes game where fans can predict game outcomes and win prizes. Fans aren’t just competing against each other, though – there will even be occasions where users will compete against celebrity pickers for major rewards.

The goal of the partnership is “to engage fans, raise funds for local non-profits, and provide an opportunity to win VIP experiential prizes.” Of course, fans will also be asked whether they want to make donations to the Sun Angel Collective when participating the sweepstakes. (More)

Snickers Strikes a Deal

South Carolina’s DK Joyner has it all. The star QB-turned-running-back is turning in one of his best seasons to date thus far, and it’s been paying off in NIL. In his biggest deal to date, he just signed on with Snickers as part of their Rookie Mistake of the Year campaign.

The deal got done with the help of the Park Avenue Sports group, which is funded by the Gamecock’s Carolina Rise NIL collective. It seems to be one of the biggest deals they’ve landed to date though, showing that South Carolina has the NIL infrastructure to compete with the big dogs. (More)

Connor Printz

Claremont Mckenna College basketball star Connor Printz has landed some impressive NIL deals. Click the link below to find out how he’s partnering with CVS, Reebok, NBC Sports and more!

♦️ Nick Saban makes an NIL joke on The Pat McAfee show

♦️ There’s been more developments on Dartmouth’s unionizing effort

♦️ UVA hires new Marketing and Engagement Director

♦️ K-State has another farm-based deal

♦️ The effect of NIL on Michigan’s football recruiting 

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Should the newly formed Power Four conferences change their names to more accurately reflect their members?

• Yes - 83%

• No - 17%