ACC Survey, Nick Dunlap, Athletic Department Donations, + ICYMI & More | NIL Newsletter #211
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sport professionals.
Thank you for being a part of OSC’s subscription plan! If you missed it, check out Monday’s Newsletter HERE.
Quick Hitters:
Athletes.org Survey’s ACC Athletes
This week, Athletes.org—the membership organization founded by Jim Cavale, former CEO of INFLCR—released the results of a survey of ACC athletes.
128 ACC athletes responded to the survey, including athletes from 13 different sports and from every league institution.
60% of respondents said that they wanted to be involved in discussions surrounding the NCAA’s newly proposed Division I model.
On realignment, 26% of athletes said that they “dislike or hate” that the ACC added Stanford, Cal, and SMU, while 30% approved of the expansion. The remainder were neutral on the realignment efforts.
Surprisingly, 76% of athletes indicated that their athletic department has not yet explained how travel schedules will be impacted.
Finally, 90% of athletes surveyed are in favor of a model that allows their university to pay them directly.
Nick Dunlap, American Express Tournament Winner
This weekend, Nick Dunlap became the youngest amateur winner on the PGA Tour in over 100 years.
However, because of his amateur status, Dunlap did not receive the $1.5 million in prize money that his win would have earned a professional.
On Sunday, Dunlap sported Adidas gear and played with TaylorMade clubs, open sponsorships that would not have been possible without the Name, Image, and Likeness rules currently in place.
“When NIL happened, we were like, where is this going to go? What's the value?” said Matt Blackey, who was part of the Adidas team that recruited Dunlap.
Dunlap is widely expected to turn pro, but has withdrawn from the upcoming Farmers Insurance Open.
Athletic Department Donations Rise, Despite Competition
As university-focused collectives continue to fundraise, many wondered if Athletic Department donations would decrease in kind.
The numbers say that is not the case. Sportico has collected revenue and expense reports from 46 of the 115 public schools at the FBS level, and the median school’s donations are up 13%.
Thirty-one of the forty-six schools saw increases in donations. Notably, Texas A&M, one of the early NIL spenders, saw an increase in Athletic Department donations of $61 million.
“In 2021-22, everybody was worried. Anybody in my business who says they weren’t is not telling the truth,” NC State senior associate AD Ben Broussard, who runs the Wolfpack booster club, said. “[But] overall, no, it has not had a negative impact on us.”
ICYMI
Texans QB CJ Stroud made a donation of between $50,000 and $100,000 to the Ohio State-focused Collective. LINK
JBL launches the JBL campus campaign by partnering with 25 athletes across the country. LINK
The Ninth Circuit rejected the NCAA’s interlocutory appeal against class-action certification in the House v. NCAA case. LINK
Master P’s Son, Mercy Miller, signed a $1.4 million NIL deal with Sweetkiwi. LINK
College Football Viewership
18 Teams Dominate College Football Viewership
Just 18 universities, primarily from the SEC and Big Ten, have accounted for 50% of viewership over the past eight college football seasons.
At the same time, the 71 least-watched football teams account for only 10% of total live views over the same time period.
Have you checked out OSC’s website?
Head to www.OptimumSportsConsulting.com to find important resources and features relating to all things NIL. These resources include State by State Resources for Admins, Agents and Athletes, including our initial “OSC Summaries” for over a dozen states coming soon.
More to come too, including links to helpful state information- agency laws and information about school policies, as well as seminar/congressional notes, worksheets, and much more!