Hey there,

It’s been a busy week in the NIL world. Today we’ve got deals — tons of them, in fact. It’s a business-heavy edition of NIL Wire, and we can’t wait for you to check it out. Make sure you take a look at the What’s Trending section to see the weekend’s biggest risers and fallers in NIL.

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— Cole, Justin and Collin

KICK-OFF

The Math behind TV Revenue Sharing

Much has been said about whether or not student-athletes are entitled to TV revenue money – in fact, a current class-action lawsuit may require precisely that. But what would the payment even look like?

Of course, it’s a lot more complicated than simple division, but we can break down the math pretty easily to give you an idea. Let’s take the Big Ten as a case study. In 2022, the Big Ten generated $489M in football revenue. Now, if players were to receive 48% of the revenue (similar to a professional sports league), that would bring the total figure of compensation to $234M.

From here, there’s many ways to organize how those funds are distributed, but for our purposes let’s just simply divide that total by 1,500 – roughly the number of Big Ten football athletes. The final compensation total would come out to $156K per athlete. (More)

Brady Buys In

Tom Brady’s latest apparel brand is utilizing NIL to launch, and it’s coming by way of the legendary QB’s alma mater. Tom Brady chose Michigan’s current quarterback JJ McCarthy to kickstart his most recent business venture – asking him to model and rep the newest Brady Brand styles.

The launch also included deals with linebacker Junior Colson, gymnast Sierra Brooks and a few other Wolverine athletes. (More)

Driving a Hard Bargain

Twin football players Jacob and Jerod Smith flipped their commitment from Michigan to Kentucky not too long ago, and some suspected that the reason was NIL. Those murmurs have only intensified as the brothers just inked a deal that landed them a brand-new car in their home state.

The deal’s not actually with the University of Kentucky – the Smith brothers are still in high school. However, these deal shows how staying at home may actually open up more deals for many athletes. Name recognition goes a long way in your home-state, which affects an athlete’s NIL market and value. (More)

WHAT’S TRENDING

Ups and Downs

• LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels just rose $126K in NIL value after his insane performance against Florida 📈

• Haley Cavinder’s TCU commitment corresponded with an $89K drop in her valuation 📉

• Alabama’s Jalen Milroe was this weekend’s biggest riser, adding $345K to his valuation since last week  📈

DOWN TO BUSINESS

Could NIL end DII and DIII Sports?

“I think it's pretty clear that Division II and Division III schools would get out of the interscholastic collegiate sports business," Baker said when asked about a potential employment model for college sports, "The impact on DII and DIII and, by the way, a lot of DI schools and their student-athletes, would be profound.”

It’s hard to say that whether Baker’s comments are serious possibilities, or just meant to add pressure on Congress to act. (More)

The King of NIL Biz

If you follow NIL closely, you’ve probably heard of Rayquan Smith. The Virginia state running back dubbed himself “The King of NIL” because of his over 70 NIL deals. Now, he’s looking to work on the other side of the equation as a service provider.

Smith just founded SponsorPro, a digital NIL marketplace that connects athletes to business opportunities. According to a press release published by HBCU gameday, the company “fills a crucial gap in the market by offering a vital link between athletes and brands.” (More)

COLLECTIVE 101

Tamper Tantrum

College basketball coaches have been coming out in droves to bring attention to what they see as tampering in the transfer portal. It’s not that NIL has created tampering, but the policy has undoubtedly provided a legal pathway for student-athletes to test their market value.

“NIL has definitely created an environment where the tampering kind of activity is more loaded,” said Jeremy McCool, who serves as the NCAA’s director of basketball development, “It’s the question of what else is involved with that consideration [to transfer]. Whether that’s NIL, a straight-up inducement – I think that adds to the equation of what we’re trying to manage.”

It won’t be easy, but getting tampering under control for college basketball is quickly becoming one of the sport’s most pressing issues. (More)

Identity Crisis

Sometimes it can be hard for student-athletes to remember who they are outside of their athletic career. According to many athletes, however, NIL collectives and deals actually help unlock their identities outside of sports.

“Sometimes people feel like they’re almost stuck in their identity as an athlete,” said Jaye Mack, a gymnast from Illinois State, “But NIL takes that and expands that. So I might be a gymnast, but I have interests in other hobbies… I like to cook. And it’s really easy to get a deal with someone like a restaurant.” (More)

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Jake Ferguson

Jake Ferguson is a standout baseball player from Cowley College who brings more to the diamond than just his athleticism. Hailing from Australia, Jake leveraged his international background to secure NIL deals with major companies like Ziynx, and ZAMA Health, and even us, NIL Wire!

However, it's his collaboration with Clutch Icons Apparel that steals the spotlight, as they've recently launched an exclusive Players Collection featuring none other than Jake himself. In the past three months, Jake’s secured 10 NIL deals by utilizing the Opendorse marketplace.

As he steps onto the field this season, join us in wishing Jake Ferguson the best of luck in making waves both on and off the field.

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Duke studs ink deals with the NIL store

♦️ Ollie Gordon gets the Forrest Gump treatment

♦️ How to jumpstart an NIL program: a case study

♦️ Idaho State launches Bengal exchange with INFLCR

♦️ Ohio State’s Cade Stover signs on with Snickers

♦️ Villanova makes it official with their NIL collective

♦️ Nevada NIL store is right around the corner

BATTER UP

Todays Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Has LSU established itself as the top NIL school in the country?

• Yes - 81%

• No - 19%