Turkey and Truckers

Hey there,

What a week in NIL. There’s a lot going on — from an entire team being gifted brand-new trucks, to another school voiding dozens of contracts overnight. Read about all of it right here by just scrolling on down. Oh, and make sure you check out our poll today… We want to hear from you!

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

Michigan State’s Mishap

Michigan State’s NIL collective Spartan Dawgs 4 Life made headlines this week when they outright cancelled a massive portion of their deals with the school’s football team. We’re not exactly sure how many deals fell through, but the estimates stand somewhere around 30-35.

The cancellations happened after the group failed at meeting financial projections, securing under 100 total subscriptions in all. It seems like after those disappointing numbers, they decided to redirect their finances by being a tad more selective in where the money goes. Meanwhile, MSU’s General Manager for Sports Sponsorships played the whole ordeal down, claiming that “This happens all of the time, not just here.”

“SD4L has made the strategic decision to reduce our advertising budget with select student-athletes in an effort to build a sustainable NIL model for our programs,” the brand said in a statement released on X. (More)

Truck or Treat

Utah’s Crimson Collective just secured one of the craziest NIL deals to date, gifting a lease to all 85 of their scholarship football players for a brand-new Dodge truck. Check out their reactions in real-time:

Now, the deal’s price is certainly high, but it’s not without some boundaries. The trucks are on six-month leases that roll over so long as the player retains enrollment and eligibility. There’s also a piece of the lease agreement that gives Ken Garff Automotive the ability to sell the trucks to the general public after a year.

Regardless, Garff maintains that he wants the program to keep going into the future, explaining that “the intent is to figure it out and if it works, how to keep it going.” (More)

OK State is… not OK

Oklahoma State’s Athletic Director Chad Weiberg recently expressed discomfort in navigating NIL, pointing out how little precedent school officials have in making their financial decisions. He voiced his frustration quite frankly: “Do we know what the competition is spending? No. Do we know what the budget for the collective and payments to athletes needs to be? Again, no.”

“We are flying by the seat of our pants, but we know there has to be a competitive effort with the hope of more answers,” he explained, “What is needed most are new rules, guardrails for all of college athletics.”

Weiberg’s comments track within the wider discussion on NIL regulation that we’ve been hearing for some time now. Seeing as though Congress doesn’t seem pressed to get any legislation passed in the near future, Weiberg may have to keep biding his anger for the time being. (More)

Peach State Pivots on NIL

The reason this matters so much is because, well, it’s Georgia. The state doesn’t just dominate at the college level – Georgia is one of the most competitive high school football states in the entire country.

Producing elite talents like Trevor Lawrence, Deshaun Watson, and Justin Fields in just the last few years, the Peach State has become one of the nation’s football epicenters. Considering the massive brand potential with top-flight players, Georgia could become one of the most lucrative NIL states in the country. (More)

A Day in the Life

Have you ever wondered what a school’s NIL guru does during the day? Well, look no further. Florida’s Director of NIL Strategy Ben Chase revealed what his day consists of, and it’s a pretty staggering list of tasks:

From reading legal documents to communicating with agents, it makes sense why many schools are hiring on NIL officials full time. As NIL policy becomes more clear, perhaps these tasks will become easier to streamline, but they remain wide-ranging for the time being. (More)

NILsurance

When Tennessee wide receiver Bru McCoy got injured against South Carolina last week, his NIL deals could have gone down with him. But in an effort to continue supporting him, Tennessee’s NIL collective The Volunteer Club organized an event to recoup some of his potential losses.

The group announced they’d begun working on a print campaign where fans could buy an autographed picture of Bru himself. 80% of the revenue gained from this effort would go directly to McCoy, with 20% presumably kicked back to the collective. (More)

UNLV Names a Collective GM

UNLV hasn’t achieved much national attention in quite some time, but they’re looking to change that soon. That’s why they just hired Shayne Odum to serve as their collective’s General Manager.

As GM of the collective, Odum will oversee how funds are distributed to UNLV student-athletes, forming strategies on how to build out their NIL program for the future. The key will be sustainability of the finances – fighting donor fatigue remains crucial for a school like UNLV, where donor interest can be as fickle as a roll of the dice. (More)

Turkey Truckers

One Texas receiver is teaming up with his mom for an NIL-fueled venture in his new college town. With his money earned from endorsements, DeAndre Moore decided to open up a turkey-based food truck in Austin that sells everything you could imagine – from burgers to tacos. His mother, Taleea, will be cooking the food as an added bonus.

Moore initially fell in love with turkey in high school as a means of getting leaner protein; since then, his love has only grown. “Growing up, I realized what a privilege it was to be able to gather around the table with my family and enjoy my mom’s warm, home-cooked meals,” he said. With the help of the Texas’ Clark Field Creative NIL collective, those meals get to be shared with all of Austin now. (More)

Hansel Emmanuel

Hansel Emmanuel isn’t your everyday hooper. He lost his left arm when he was six years old – a cinderblock wall toppled over him and the accident demanded an amputation. Hansel didn’t give up on his dreams though, and kept working to eventually be recognized for his basketball talent.

Now, Hansel is one of the biggest stars in college sports. He boasts the 2^nd highest NIL valuation in men’s basketball, securing deals with companies like Adidas, Gatorade, and as of this week, Oakley. He’s not just some feel-good story either – Hansel would be the first to say that he’s a competitor first and foremost. Only a sophomore, we can expect to see a lot more of Emmanuel in the near future.

♦️ Hasbro inks NIL deals for new Nerf advertisement

♦️ Former Alabama athletes can brand themselves with ‘Bama merch now and forever

♦️ USC Trojan Zachariah Branch signs NIL deal with C4 Energy

♦️ Boise State bolsters NIL sales with “Bronco Brew”

♦️ Runner Ali Ince signs with New Balance

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Assuming oversight on NIL is coming, should it come from primarily the NCAA or Congress?

• NCAA - 82%

• Congress - 18%