Recapping NIL This Week:

2021 PIAA football championship game summaries | Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pennsylvania could be the latest state to allow for high school NIL

The Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) board passed a policy that will allow high school student athletes to be compensated for use of their NIL. The policy must pass through three readings, or votes, in order to become the new official policy- two more readings are needed for the policy. In that time, changes may be made before the policy becomes official.
The PIAA board approved the plan on a first reading at Wednesday’s meeting in State College. The PIAA board meets again in September and October, so the policy could be in place before winter.
“The board said we need to get something down (on paper) to let our schools know this is what we’re thinking of, so they can kick the tires, look at it and see if this is the direction we want to go,” PIAA executive director Bob Lombardi said. “Nobody wants to catch a senior and their family or community making a mistake.”
If enacted, Pennsylvania will join a growing list of states with similar policies already in place. The PIAA counted nine states that now have NIL policies for high school athletes with many more in the works. Lombardi said the PIAA looked closely at NIL guidelines from New York, New Jersey and California, as well as proposed legislation in Maryland. “It’s right in the middle of the road,” Lombardi said of the PIAA plan. “It follows a lot of the lessons they’ve learned.”
Under the PIAA guidelines, school employees and anyone affiliated with a member school would be barred from soliciting or negotiating an NIL deal for a student. They also cannot pay an athlete for use of their name, image and likeness. That includes coaches, alumni, booster clubs and administrators. “The student can get benefit for themselves,” Lombardi said. “It’s not to be enticed.”

No. 1 recruit Arch Manning, nephew of Peyton and Eli, commits to Texas | RSN

Dylan Raiola’s dad is looking to the Manning’s as an example for top recruits dealing with NIL

In a new article for CBS, reporter Dennis Dodd discussed #1 overall recruit Arch Manning’s strategy of avoiding NIL deals ahead of his first season at Texas.
Dominic Raiola, father of quarterback Dylan Raiola (the No. 1 player in the Class of 2024 who committed to Ohio State in May), has reached out to Cooper Manning (Arch’s dad) to begin assembling a blueprint for navigating football in the NIL era.
“I do like how they do things,” Dominic said of the Mannings. “Long answer, yes, we are keeping track. All the agents calling, right? Drew [Rosenhaus] is calling. [High-profile Athletes First agent] Todd France is calling. CAA is calling. I think it's good to have those conversations … You want to make sure you're schooled on it. You don't want to send your kid off to the Wild West. 'Here's a million dollars what do you do with it?' We want to be prepared.”
"Athletes like Arch and athletes like [No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick from Duke] Paolo Banchero are forward thinking," said Jim Cavale, CEO of NIL-centric INFLCR. "What they're doing is looking at the bigger picture and not taking every deal and spending all their time on NIL because it is work. They're going to make sure that it fits within the bigger picture of what they want to accomplish."

Iowa women's basketball: Caitlin Clark looks to lead Hawkeyes on magical run in March Madness

The Swarm Collective set to launch this week

The latest Big 10 NIL collective, The Swarm Collective for Iowa student athletes, is set to launch this week. An introductory press conference is scheduled for Tuesday.
Hawk Central reported football coach Kirk Ferentz, men’s basketball coach Fran McCaffery and women’s basketball coach Lisa Bluder will be involved in the press conference. Iowa alum and former Hawkeyes golfer Brad Heinrichs is the CEO of The Swarm Collective.
“As a former student athlete at the University of Iowa, I am excited to form The Swarm Collective — a non-profit corporation that contracts with Iowa’s student-athletes to serve the community,” Heinrichs said in the release. “NIL is a wonderful tool for student-athletes to be able to profit from their name, image and likeness. Our objective is to use their popularity for the benefit of the Iowa community by raising money or providing services to local charities and other non-profit organizations.”
The Swarm Collective is the second NIL-related group recently announced to support Iowa athletes. The Iowa City NIL Club is one of the YOKE-backed membership-based communities where every football player on a team can opt into the club and receive an equal share of the revenue. The Iowa City NIL Club launched Friday. Fans can pay $199 per year for an Access Pass, according to Hawk Central, and it will provide access to in-person events and exclusive digital content. Michigan State right guard Matt Carrick, who’s part of the East Lansing NIL Club, said the players will receive 75% of the revenue.
Potential preseason All-American defensive back Riley Moss told reporters he’s not participating in the Iowa City NIL Club, even though he said about 70% of the Hawkeyes have joined the club. “I stayed out of it just because I kind of want to focus on some football things and that would be taking up a lot of my time,” Moss told Hawkeye Report. “I’m here to play some football. It’s not the best for me. But it’s good for some of these guys to get some of that exposure. It’ll be good for them.”

Safety at Michigan Stadium - University of Michigan Athletics

Michigan Army National Guard partners with 120 Wolverine student athletes

The Michigan Army National Guard has partnered with 120 Wolverine student-athletes in a NIL deal. The recruitment campaign deal was arranged by Valiant Management Group. The group operates the Champions Circle collective which is quickly becoming one of the most successful in the country.
The kickoff event takes place Friday at the Grand Ledge Armory in Grand Ledge, Mich. Approximately 120 Michigan student-athletes will be in attendance. The NIL Army recruitment campaign is part of an effort by the Michigan Army National Guard to connect with young adults. In a news release, the Michigan Army National Guard said the campaign will “highlight the shared values that exist between the MIARNG and these campus and community leaders.”
A small subset of student-athletes selected by the MIARNG will be featured. The players that will be featured weren’t identified. They will leverage their voices and social media reach to share MIARNG messaging with their peer group of 17-24-year-olds. “The Michigan Army National Guard steps up and serves Michigan communities every day,” said Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer. “Joining the Guard is a great way to kickstart your career and embark on pathways to higher education, skills training and good-paying jobs.
Valiant Management is run by former Michigan football player Jared Wangler and former U-M hockey athlete Niko Porikos. They launched the Champions Circle collective in June 2022. Valiant Management is a successful Michigan-based sports marketing agency. The group says it is perfectly positioned to “connect U-M student-athletes with fans and businesses for NIL opportunities.” More from On3 HERE.

ICYMI Ticker

Nebraska AD Trev Alberts told The Athletic that he wants Nebraska to push the limits in the NIL race while staying on the right side of the rules. For instance, Alberts has not authorized the hire of a fundraiser in athletics whose full-time job it would be to work with collectives to secure donations for NIL deals. But as several of the Huskers’ contemporaries choose to make such a move, he wonders if the time is coming. A goal for Nebraska amid the constant change? To “thread the needle,” Alberts said. “How do we do everything we can to help our student athletes monetize their name, image and likeness? How do we give our coaches every tool in the toolbox? And how do we at the same time protect the integrity of the institution? Those things are at odds. I want our toe right up to the line, but I don’t want to cross the line.”
Miami Football alum Shawn O'Dare, who is the agent for current Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke plus 9 other student athletes, told The Athletic: "The first few months were very wild, wild west. Since then, collectives are taking shape. Group licensing is too. Guys are going to be able to get their jerseys sold, make money off trading cards and collect on the (EA Sports) video game next year, hopefully. I feel like companies are also starting to get a little more comfortable seeing a return on investment in some respects. But I would just say organizationally it’s getting better. [...] We don’t want to do too many deals where we’re watering down these guys’ brands or too many autograph signings where their signature doesn’t retain the value.” More HERE.
Meta has opened applications for female SAs to apply for NIL Empower 2.0, the company’s female athlete incubator program aimed to empower female athletes to build their personal brand, maximize NIL opportunities on Facebook and Instagram and prepare for life after sports. “Through this five month program (Aug - Dec), selected applicants will work with the Meta Sports Partnerships team, industry leaders and some of the biggest brands in the world to gain education, mentorship and opportunities aimed to help them succeed in the NIL Era.” The 30 athletes who will go through hands-on education about Facebook and Instagram, designed to support your growth and success in the NIL era; connect and collaborate with fellow female athletes; unlock opportunities to earn money on Facebook and Instagram; and receive career development to aid in the transition to life after sports. The submission deadline is July 29, 2022. More HERE.
Former NCAA champion A.J. Ferrari is no longer with the Oklahoma State wrestling program after reports surfaced Wednesday that he is being investigated after the Stillwater Police Department received a sexual assault allegation against him. The Oklahoman said the school released a statement to it saying that the 2021 NCAA 197-pound champion, who also had an NIL deal with World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE), is no longer a part of the team.
Four NCAA athletes have signed NIL deals with Farmers Bank & Trust (FBT). Derrian Ford, Landon Jackson, Carlee Ratcliff and Frankie Price will be partnering with the bank for the upcoming year. Chris Gosnell, FBT’s chief executive officer, is excited by this new opportunity to support education locally. “These first four student partners will be the beginning of deepening our relationships with our Farmers communities through NIL support,” Gosnell said. “We can’t wait to see our Farmers student-athletes continue to excel.” More HERE.
The TCU NIL collective, Think NIL, recently announced that eight college athletes have signed on as ambassadors. These college athletes now can sign deals with different non-profits and businesses to represent the respective organization and the collective: Messiah Bright (Soccer); Robert Gregory (Men’s Track & Field); Hailey Hamlett (Beach Volleyball); Kristin Hemphill (Rifle); Alec Hubbard (Men’s Swimming & Diving); Gracie Morris (Women’s Track & Field); Patricia Morris (Women’s Basketball); and Taylor Raiola (Indoor Volleyball).
FanJolt and Middle Tennessee State have announced a new partnership providing a platform SAs can use to monetize their NIL. The partnership provides a white-labeled version of FanJolt branded specifically with Middle Tennessee colors and logos, available exclusively for MT SAs. This version will be available in August.

Tweets of the Week

Darren Heitner @DarrenHeitner

Was just sent Michael Caspino’s #NIL collective contract. Collective can terminate for frustration of purpose. Does that include athlete transferring or flipping commitment? Vague/broad language here. He says he’s not an agent. I disagree based on a plain reading of the law.

Darren Heitner @DarrenHeitner

The #NIL deal between athlete and collective is structured similar to how sports agents have traditionally provided marketing advances to clients. This basically turns the collective into a marketing agency of the athlete. Individuals in the collective may need to be licensed.

Auburn Tigers @AuburnTigers

NIL Update from @AGreeneIV: "For Auburn to remain competitive on the fields and courts of play, we need to compete - and win - in the NIL arena." #WarEagle

Jordon Rooney @jordonr

Earlier this year, we helped launch the first high school NIL deal in the nation. Here’s how we did it.

Darren Heitner @DarrenHeitner

Celebrating 1 year of #NIL success 👍

REMINDER: OSC Summer Schedule

OSC will be taking our first-ever vacation in mid-July. Following today’s NIL Newsletter, we will be off for 2 weeks, and return to your inboxes on Monday, August 1st. Thus, there won’t be any normally scheduled newsletters on the 21st (Thursday), 25th (Monday) and 28th (Thursday).

Shell-abrate' good times: ISU students share their plans for summer vacation | Features | videtteonline.com

Optimum Sports Consulting Newsletter

NIL Newsletter #104 | Pennsylvania HS NIL…