Newsletter #108 | USC has an unwanted collective, Oscar Tshiebwe in the Bahamas, SMU's new collective + ICYMI Ticker
Welcome to the NIL Newsletter by Optimum Sports Consulting - providing valuable, actionable NIL resources for student athletes, administrators, agents and other sport professionals.
Recapping NIL This Week:
USC boosters to form NIL collective against school’s wishes
When USC partnered with an outside media company to launch BLVD LLC, the hope was that its unique approach to facilitating name, image and likeness endorsement deals for Trojan athletes would help stave off the rise of a donor-run collective - and keep USC out of the crosshairs of any future NCAA crackdowns.
Dale Rech, a Florida-based businessman and lifelong USC fan, was a Trojans football donor into the Pete Carroll era, but grew disenchanted with the athletic department and eventually cut ties. He’s leading the effort on Student Body Right, he says, to offer an NIL alternative to BLVD “for those who want to contribute to the football program without any connection to USC at all.”
The group includes Brian Kennedy, who was once one of USC’s top athletic donors and whose name still graces the Trojans’ practice field. Kennedy’s relationship with USC soured nearly a decade ago, but he confirmed to The Times that he has been involved in discussions about Student Body Right.
Rech said the collective’s intent is to provide “the equivalent of a base salary” for every member of USC’s football team who is academically eligible. To receive those payments, players would perform community service and take part in charitable work with local organizations. Student Body Right has filed for 501c3 status as a charitable organization, which would make certain donations to the group tax-deductible. BLVD is not a 501c3 charitable organization.
Kentucky’s Oscar Tshiebwe gets down to NIL business in the Bahamas
As Kentucky MBB stays at the Baha Mar Resort in the Bahamas, star player Oscar Tshiebwe is hard at work on the NIL front. Minutes after Kentucky’s plane touched down, Tshiebwe was asking his agent where he needed to be. Tshiebwe stands to make about $500,000 in seven days - bringing his total NIL earnings to about $2.75 million - a source told The Athletic. He did promotional work for four different companies before he even unpacked his suitcase Monday.
Kentucky’s policy is that team road trips are for university business only but AD Mitch Barnhart is bending that rule this week for Tshiebwe.
Tshiebwe, who is from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has only been able to license his NIL - a lucrative loophole that is netting him about $20,000 a month in just apparel sales, one source said - but has yet to participate in a single radio or television commercial, photoshoot for an ad campaign or paid autograph signing. He has about 2,000 Topps trading cards and a stack of other memorabilia in his hotel room that he’ll have to sign by the end of the trip. “God opened a door,” Tshiebwe said. “I feel lucky, because I don’t get this often.”
With the help of his agent, Nate Conley, and a startup company called Influxer, which pairs athletes and brands and aims to specialize in navigating the complexities of international athletes on student visas, Tshiebwe found yet another clever workaround to his own limitations. He has applied to have his visa switched from student status to the type granted to international celebrities. Full story from The Athletic HERE.
SMU’s new NIL collective set to pay players $36,000 each annually
SMU’s new NIL collective, the Boulevard Collective, is set to pay players on both the football and basketball teams $36,000 a year - a total payout of $3.5 million annually - for NIL activity. The compensation is unprecedented in college athletics. The Matador Club, a Texas Tech collective, unveiled plans last month to pay each football player (and later other sports) $25,000 a year.
Driven by Dallas business leaders and SMU alumni, Chris Kleinert, CEO of Hunt Realty Investments, and Kyle Miller, president and CEO of Silver Hill Energy Partner, Boulevard immediately joins the likes of Tennessee’s Spyre Sports and Texas A&M’s The Fund. SMU has been positioned to benefit from the wealth and network of alumni in the DFW area for years.
Boulevard will be led by sports industry veteran Chris Schoemann, who has been named executive director. The collective is also partnering with the NIL marketplace Opendorse, which will oversee NIL education, disclosures and tax-related preparation.
“At a time where an athlete’s access to brand and marketing opportunities is more valuable than ever before, we are excited to leverage DFW’s integrated network of corporate, philanthropic, and athletics leaders,” Schoemann said in a press release. “For a city and alumni base as relationship-oriented as Dallas and SMU, it seems only fitting that the community has come together in this way.”
ICYMI Ticker
Great story from Sports Illustrated’s Ross Dellenger, which takes a look at Tennessee football and the rise of NIL collectives like Sprye. Entitled “The Other Side of the NIL Collective, College Sports’ Fast-Rising Game Changer,” the article looks at the the line between amateurism and professionalism.
Multiple Baylor football players have taken to twitter to announce the launch of the Waco NIL Club. The club will allow fans to directly contribute NIL money to players on the Baylor football roster in return for access to chats with players, a message board, and content created by the football team. There are also subscription levels that allow you to receive an RG3 jersey ($25 per month commitment) or a steak dinner with the players this fall ($100 per month commitment). More HERE.
Alabama Senator Tommy Tuberville: “At the end of the day, we need fairness for all schools, big universities and small universities, and if we get the fairness for that I think we can accomplish something here. And again, it might take some tweaking as we go along, but we’ve got to have a base where to start. And before we put this so-called future bill in front of the Congress and in front of the United States, we will make sure it’s the proper thing to do and it will have an opportunity to work and make it fair for all.”
Notre Dame's Michael Mayer has inked a deal with Rhoback. As part of the deal, Irish fans can support Mayer by clicking HERE and placing an order through Rhoback.
Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta: "NIL was opened up with the intention that every student athlete would be given free opportunity to take their brand, their name image and likeness, and benefit from it financially, So if everybody would just do that, the world would be a better place, at least from an Athletic Director's standpoint.”
Penn State wrestler Roman Bravo-Young recently signed his third major NIL deal with Snap Custom Pizza and Salads. As part of the arrangement, Bravo-Young will create his own pizzas for the company throughout the year. More HERE.
Matt Brown from Extra Points has some thoughts on EA Sports and how licensing will work with future college video games. More HERE.
USC DL Trevor Trout joined Carl Reed to discuss Student Body Right, the Trojans' new NIL collective. Video HERE.
High schooler Shelton Sampson Jr. has inked his first NIL deal following Saturday’s commitment to LSU. The On3 Consensus five-star receiver has announced a partnership with Elete Sports to release a branded clothing line dubbed “SS6.” More HERE.
Sports agent and partnerships leader Graham Boone has been named the new Executive Director of Heels4Life, the independent, not-for-profit organization that facilitates NIL opportunities for North Carolina football student athletes.
North Carolina and INFLCR have teamed up to create the Carolina NIL Exchange, an online marketplace that will connect Tar Heel student athletes with local, national and global businesses.
Minnesota State and Opendorse announced the launch of The Corral.