NCAA Policy Change, The Ivy League & The Transfer Portal, Gophers NIL Collective + ICYMI & More | NIL Newsletter #220
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for athletes, administrators, agencies and other sports professionals.
Major News
NCAA Pauses Investigations Into NIL Collectives
The NCAA has temporarily paused existing investigations, and will not begin new ones, into whether name, image, and likeness (NIL) collectives have broken recruiting rules.
Collectives greatly influence football and men’s basketball recruiting, luring players and coaches to the program. Many of these collectives are also nonprofits, meaning that donations are tax-deductible.
The NCAA will not penalize conduct that occurs while the injunction from the Tennessee/Virginia lawsuit is in place.
Three parts of the NCAA’s NIL policy will continue to be enforced: (1) a prohibition on paying athletes for “specific performance,” (2) a prohibition on schools directly paying athletes through NIL deals, and (3) a requirement that athletes do something to receive NIL money.
Ivy League Makes A Statement Against “Check-Chasing”
Members of the Ivy League, including Penn Athletic Director Alanna Shanahan, emphasize the “significant drawbacks” of NIL.
Penn Head Basketball Coach Steve Donahue argues “Everyone [should] stay four years.”
Shanahan notes that players transferring away from their university was not an expected consequence of the new laws.
Other Ivy League programs, such as Yale, are confident that the strength of an Ivy League degree will continue to be a factor in the face of the changing NIL landscape.
Dinkytown Athletes Helps Gophers Compete With Wisconsin and Iowa
Dinkytown Athletes is Minnesota’s official collective, intending to connect Gopher athletes to endorsement money.
The collective has helped retain wide receiver Daniel Jackson; cornerback Justin Walley; defensive end Jah Joyner, and linebacker Cody Lindenberg.
Dinkytown Athletes rely on a grassroots movement, charging $10 for a monthly membership to try and get as many fans involved as possible.
Since its inception, the collective has provided support to over 200 Gopher athletes and sports such as football, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s hockey, and volleyball.
For Athletes
Deal of the Week
UConn Women’s Basketball forward Aaliyah Edwards signed a deal with Adidas Canada.
Edwards, who is in the US on a student visa, cannot take part in active NIL deals in the country — hence the deal with Adidas Canada.
ICYMI
Returning starter from the 2024 National Champion Michigan Wolverines declines a $1.75 million deal to stay in Ann Arbor. LINK
Caleb Williams could have made approximately $10 million in endorsement deals over the past two seasons at USC. LINK
Iowa star shooting guard Caitlin Clark declares for the WNBA Draft, forgoing her final season of eligibility. LINK
Kentucky Guard Reed Shepard inks NIL with WinStar to endorse the “Life is Good” racehorse. 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!