NIL Newsletter #146 | Syracuse Loses Booster, Leaders on NIL, New Collectives Continue, + ICYMI
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:
Syracuse Booster Adam Weitsman Ceases NIL Activity
On Tuesday, Weitsman informed the press that he would no longer provide name, image, and likeness deals to Syracuse athletes, or bring celebrities alongside him to home games.
Earlier this year, Weitsman said he would provide over $2 million in NIL deals to current and future Syracuse student-athletes.
“From what I understand, hearing it from sources at the university, [Syracuse University Chancellor Kent Syverud] did not like the high-profile nature of the celebrities coming to games and the way I was going about NIL, discussing it with the media,” Weitsman said.
Weitsman plans to honor current NIL deals, such as one with Dyaisha Fair, a Syracuse Women’s Basketball student-athlete, but will not provide any new deals.
Jesse Edwards, a Center for Syracuse Men’s Basketball who had previously entered the transfer portal, committed to West Virginia on Sunday. Although he stated that NIL was not determinative for his recruitment, he did note that “it doesn’t seem that Syracuse as an organization is that into [NIL].”
More info is available HERE.
Coaches and Athletic Directors Spill on NIL. Spoiler: Not Great
North Carolina Football Head Coach Mack Brown was one of many collegiate leaders to share their unadulterated thoughts on NIL this week, and not one had much positive to say.
Brown: “We’re the NFL. We’re the mini-NFL. It’s just like the NFL. That’s where we are headed. We will never see amateurism again. It’s gone. I hate it. [...] Cheaters cheat. People who used to give inducements are still doing that. It’s just called NIL. This stupid thing about it’s not pay-for-play. Why are they paying them? They’re not paying them for nothing. It is what it is. I wish we would stop hiding behind NIL.”
Baylor AD Mack Rhoades joined the sentiment: “In this moment we are speaking, I think it has exploded when it comes to NIL and the Transfer Portal. There are more than 1,300 in the portal for men's basketball. Right now, we literally have a pay-for-play system. We can dance around it, but that is what we have right now and I don't think anybody particularly cares for it.”
Dayton AD Neil Sullivan was the last to join: “It’s outrageous and out of control. That’s the best way I can say it. I guess I’ll be really blunt about it. There are very few NIL rules and regulations, but to the NCAA’s credit — if there is much credit to give — there are a couple clear rules that are written in what I call fifth-grade plain English.”
Coaches and ADs have often spoken out against NIL and its impact on the transfer portal. The college football transfer portal opened on Sunday, and is likely to bring even more conversation on the topic from leaders and student-athletes alike.
New Collectives Continue to Launch and Combine
This week, at least seven new collectives have either launched or merged, in spite of the obvious distaste that many in the college athletics hold.
The USC-focused Victory Formation collective—formed by several former USC athletes—launched this past week. The collective intends to not only find and facilitate endorsement deals, but offer athletes content creation and mentorship opportunities. They will also offer financial literacy training and legal counsel.
The 1870 Society launched as the first for-profit collective supporting Ohio State student-athletes. The founders believe that the current non-profit initiatives have too many limitations in terms of scope and scalability, and that this for-profit structure will accelerate community support.
The Florida-focused Florida Victorious Collective launched, taking the place of The Gator Collective as the official NIL partner of Florida athletics. The collective states it will streamline the process, prevent potential violations of NCAA rules or state laws, and eliminate competing agendas.
The Vanderbilt-focused Anchor Impact Fund absorbed the Anchor collective, becoming the exclusive NIL collective for Vanderbilt student-athletes.
Tulsa and Saint Joseph were among other Universities to welcome new NIL collectives this past week.
ICYMI Ticker
The Master’s top amateur, Texas A&M’s Sam Bennett, was not eligible to collect the $261,000 in prize money he earned, but said: “I don’t know, NIL has been pretty good this year.” LINK
Middle Tennessee partnered with The Brandr Group to provide group licensing for student-athletes. LINK
U.S. District Court Judge Wilken set a trial date of January 27, 2025, for the House v. NCAA NIL class action lawsuit. LINK
Miami(FL)’s Cavinder Twins announced this week that they would not be returning for their fifth season. LINK
Arkansas Governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders signed the new Arkansas NIL bill into law. LINK
Estimates for the largest stars in the NCAA Men’s Basketball transfer portal reach as high as $3-4 million per year. LINK