Helping brands to partner with athletes in their influencer marketing and sponsorship marketing campaigns

What are NIL deals?

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deals allow student athletes to be compensated for marketing deals. The deals are mainly working with local businesses, marketing campaigns, social media related content with brands, training clinics, as well as appearances and autograph signings. Brands and companies can reach out either directly to athletes or through the athletes agent, while the schools have nothing to do with the individual contract.

What are the current rules and laws?

While there is still a lot of gray area and differences in laws by state, the rules set by the NCAA in recent months have become more established. The NCAA left it up to schools and states to determine the specific rules on NIL dealings which has been the most confusing part of the process. Each state has different rules and regulations which create confusion for athletes and is also pushing many student athletes to enter the transfer portal to gain NIL eligibility in a state more open to the laws. 

While the laws differ per state on the standing of NIL dealings, it can be found that within the guidelines set by the NCAA: 

• Universities and Conferences cannot limit a student-athlete to be eligible for compensation for their NIL.

• NIL dealings cannot interfere with existing school contracts or sponsorships. 

• Athletes must report all NIL deals to their athletic department to make sure the deal follows the states NIL laws

• In May 2022, the NCAA established new guidelines on dealings with boosters. Donors also known as Boosters, are strictly prohibited from any sort of athlete recruitment as it would breach the NCAA rules.

Where is the current progress on NIL deals?

The result of the NIL dealings has seen huge growth in its first established year. An estimate of over half a billion dollars has already been spent towards creating NIL deals with student athletes. The NCAA March Madness tournament saw the impact that star student-athletes had and can create. The tournament gave a chance to lesser known athletes to give them an opportunity for marketing exposure that they would never have before.

The Cinderella story of Jersey City basketball team St. Peters, who knocked over the mighty Kentucky in the first round of the 2022 March Madness, helped the teams image grow to new heights. St. Peter’s guard Doug Edert became a sensation as he inked a deal with Buffalo Wild Wings during the early stages of the tournament and gained a popular social media following.

Duke basketball star Paolo Banchero, who is a top 3 NBA draft prospect, signed deals this past year with companies like: Yahoo Sports, Panini, and NBA 2k. An opportunity like this for student athletes is helping brands and athletes to create future opportunities for social media following and personal growth. 

Opensponsorship and NIL 

Within the last year, Opensponsorship has been working towards creating opportunities for student athletes in the growing space. With a focus on creating social media campaigns, athletes are able to better their reach and grow their followings. Opensponsorship works to help grow the long-term opportunities that student athletes now have and also to build on  their individual brand. Reach out to Opensponsorship for creative ways to work with student athletes to build successful campaigns. 

As of July 1st of 2021, under the new name, likeness, and image (NIL) rule, college athletes are now able to partner with companies and make money out of endorsements deals. To keep it short, NIL is the beginning of a new era, giving athletes and brands the much wanted "go ahead" to partner, as well as opening an entire new market of opportunities. With over 300 accepted college-athlete completed deals through our platform, a total cash value of $40,242, and a total product value of $98,687, we are planning to keep leading the market introducing more efficient ways to help both our brands and athletes to find their perfect fit. We believe that NIL endorsements deals will get bigger and bigger, so here below are some highlights of the top NIL college-athlete deals that have been closed so far.

Bryce Young, Alabama & Cash App's partnership.

The famous payments company, Cash App, has been one of the companies with the most growth in the past year, and is planning to continue with that trend by signing Bryce Young onto their team. Represented by arguably the biggest talent agency in the world, the quarterback from Alabama is the leading college football player in sponsorships. Although he has closed other endorsements deals, Cash App's partnership is his biggest deal yet.

D'Eriq King and Bubba Bolden, (Miami Hurricanes) & College Hunks Hauling Junk partnership.

ESPN's Jordan Schultz reported the quarterback King and safety Bolden both signed a $20,000 deal with College Hunks Hauling Junk, a moving service headquartered in Tampa, Florida. However, King and Bolden are not the only Hurricanes with NIL deals, as it is belief that almost every scholarship athlete in the team is currently related with a NIL sponsorship deal.

Sam Howell (North Carolina) & Bojangles partnership.

The popular fast food chain did not waste any time and added the talented quarterback, Sam Howell from North Carolina in their marketing campaigns. As Bojangles stated in a press release, "he'll be making appearances on behalf of Bojangles and sharing content on his personal social media accounts."

Bo Nix (Auburn) and Malachi Moore (Alabama) & Milo's Sweet Tea partnership.

Regardless the rivalry between Auburn and Alabama, the tea company based in Alabama went all in and catered to both programs in the big Iron Bowl rivalry. Bo Nix was the first one in signing the deal on July 1st; Malachi Moore signed the very next day on July 2nd. Milo's announced Malachi Moore's partnership through a quite funny social media post, stating that the company is from now on a divided family.

Hercy Miller, Tennessee & Web Apps America partnership.

The son of rapper and former NBA player Master P, has signed a $2 million deal to become a brand ambassador for Web Apps America, a tech company that specializes in web, mobile, and software solutions.