Increased University Involvement, Senate NIL Hearing, Mike Gundy on NIL, + ICYMI | NIL Newsletter #190
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Quick Hitters:
NCAA Discussing Increased School Involvement in NIL
An NCAA subcommittee will meet today to discuss several proposed changes focused on university involvement in NIL activity.
These potential changes would allow universities to source deals for athletes, review NIL contracts, assist with taxes, and provide graphic design resources.
Nebraska Athletic Director Trev Alberts (above, in uniform), who is on the NCAA subcommittee, is in favor of making “aggressive” changes.
“Let's be honest. Some of the stuff we're talking about now, we would have never even had a conversation about two years ago,” said Alberts. “The goalposts keep moving. We keep sliding further and further. Some of the things early on that were impermissible, it's time to rethink those things.”
NCAA President Baker, Big Ten Commissioner Petitti to Testify
Next week, Capitol Hill will host the “Name, Image, and Likeness, and the Future of College Sports Hearing” in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee.
NCAA President Charlie Baker and Big Ten Commissioner Tony Petitti are among those expected to testify, along with a more unexpected source.
Joining Baker and Petitti in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee will be Walker Jones, the executive director of the Ole Miss-focused Grove Collective.
Jones will be representing not only The Grove Collective, but also The Collective Association, which now represents 24 NIL collectives across the Power 5 conferences.
Oklahoma State’s Mike Gundy Urges NIL Investment
Mike Gundy, the second-longest tenured head coach in the FBS, believes that NIL investment should be prioritize over facility upgrades.
Gundy has been around long enough to recall the proverbial “college football arms race,” where Universities invested heavily in new locker rooms and weight rooms in an effort to sway recruits.
“Don’t build it, put the money in the bank,” Gundy said. “Put the money in the bank and spend it on NIL. That’s just the future, and I’m not saying I agree with it. I only know the sign of the times.”
“I’m going to hypothetically build a situation: if you brought in 50 of our players and said we’ll NIL you $50 to $60,000 a year cash or we can build you a new weight room and meeting room, which one do you want? They’re gonna take [the money], right? That’s what kids do nowadays.”
ICYMI
The Collective Association is now at 24 total members, adding collectives from Duke, Alabama, Iowa, and Oregon. LINK
Miami (OH) partnered with Icon Source to launch a local NIL marketplace. LINK
Mark Stoops on the loss to Georgia: “I can promise you Georgia, they bought some pretty good football players.” LINK
Two donors agreed to match all contributions to Minnesota Softball through the Dinkytown Athletes Collective through October 16th. 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!