Conference Realignment, Quick Hitters, + ICYMI | NIL Newsletter #172
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sport professionals.
More from Monday:
Conference Realignment and NIL
As most of the larger moves in this offseason’s conference realignment appear to be nearing completion—Florida State remains TBD—the discussion turns to how these recent moves affect recruiting, media rights, and, of course, NIL.
One recent example is 2024 Cornerback Dakoda Fields, who flipped his commitment from USC to Oregon following news that the latter would be joining the former in the Big Ten.
These moves signal yet another massive shift towards the professionalism of amateur athletics, particularly at the college football level. University of Michigan regent Jordan Acker, while welcoming Washington and Oregon to the conference, shared his thoughts on the matter:
“[T]his expansion, like the several before it, has zero to do with the caliber of the school, the impact it would have on student athletes, tradition or rivalry. It has everything to do with TV dollars. But everyone knows that.”
“It's utterly indefensible on any other grounds. FACT: It will take less time for our student athletes in non-chartered travel to go from Ann Arbor to London than it will to Eugene. Should we consider adding University College London to add another TV window?”
With a continued shift towards a national schedule, it should be no surprise that NIL will become more national as well. Student-athletes from Southern California will gain national exposure on the East Coast, and vice-versa, opening doors for greater national sponsorship opportunities.
Acker’s comments are available HERE.
Quick Hitters:
EA Sports Confirms Summer 2024 Release
Although the Brandr Group’s lawsuit for tortious interference remains underway, EA Sports confirmed to On3 that it would proceed as planned for a Summer 2024 release of the next edition of their NCAA Football series.
“We’re incredibly excited to bring back an authentic college football experience for fans and athletes that have shown such passion for the franchise, and we’re looking forward to delivering it in Summer 2024,” an EA spokesperson told On3.
Louisville-focused 502 Circle Signs Team-Wide NIL Deals
On Monday, the Louisville-focused 502 Circle Collective announced that it signed team-wide NIL deals with the Women’s Basketball and Volleyball teams.
The Women’s Basketball team reached the Elite 8 in March Madness this past year, while the Volleyball team were the runners-up to Texas.
“For both teams, it’s a six-figure commitment that we divvied up amongst the group,” 502 Circle President Dan Furman said. “Both teams had a specific allocation. But combined, it comes out to over six figures. So, there’s significant investment there and you don’t see a lot of schools jumping into the space this way.”
ICYMI
Virginia Tech’s Derrick Canteen starts real estate podcast with Triumph NIL. LINK
Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka signs deal with Amazon Style. LINK
Deion Sanders puts player’s social media handles on the back of Colorado practice jerseys to maximize NIL opportunities. LINK
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!