Why did Texas donors commit $10 million to NIL?

Now Presenting This Week in NIL, a newsletter about everything you need to know to keep up with the rapidly changing world of name, image, and likeness in college sports!

This Week in NIL:

💰 Texas donors commit $10 Million to NIL activities

🎙️ UCLA QB Chase Griffin is accepted into LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program

👀 Unique student-athlete partnership with Steph Curry

Why did Texas donors commit $10 Million to NIL Activities?

Eric Prisbell @EricPrisbell

Prominent U of Texas donors, former Texas athletes and sports marketer Nick Shuley are launching Clark Field Collective, which has secured an initial pledge commitment of $10 million for Texas NIL activities. “It’s the game changer,” Shuley told @On3sports

A group of prominent Texas Longhorns donors, former athletes, and sports marketer Nick Shuley announced the formation of Clark Field Collective after securing an initial commitment of $10 million for Texas NIL activities. The ultimate goal? Creating the nation’s biggest dedicated fund for college athletes.

The Collective will work with businesses, donors, and fans to cultivate and facilitate NIL opportunities for Texas athletes with the intention of ensuring their success.

Our takeaway:

At nearly half the amount of head coach Steve Sarkisian's contract buyout amount, it is clear Texas donors want every edge they can possibly have in the NIL arms race. What is unclear thought is how exactly these funds will be deployed: Austin sports marketer Nick Shuley sees Clark Field Collective having committees for each UT team to help them find NIL deals but there is likely much more going on behind the scenes. One area of need is for NIL education as student-athletes were expected to become social media influencers overnight with very little training (more on that later).

UCLA QB Chase Griffin is Accepted Into LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program

Student Athlete NIL @AthleteNIL

UCLA QB @ChaseQB11 was selected amongst thousands of applicants to be one of 100 participants to the first class of #LinkedIn’s Creator Accelerator Program @LinkedIn is donating 1,000 meals to Griffin’s partner charity @LAFoodBank

UCLA Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Chase Griffin was selected to be a part of the Inaugural LinkedIn Creator Accelerator Program. The Program, which gives accepted participants $15,000 to help in their content creation efforts along with personalized education and connections, is part of a push for the professional connection service to bring a diverse set of content creators to their platform.

Our takeaway:

Despite not throwing a pass for the Bruins this season, Griffin is well on his way to being a NIL power player. It proves the power of a strong personal brand: he has deals with Boost Mobile, Degree, and has provided over 33,000 meals so far to his partners at the LA Food Bank. While all of these efforts require a significant time commitment, Griffin is pushing the boundaries of what it means to be both a student-athlete and content creator.

Stephen Curry x Azzi Fudd

Kristi Dosh @SportsBizMiss

Interesting new partnership between @StephenCurry30 and @azzi_35. Curry will mentor Fudd as part of this deal. Talk about an incredible opportunity!

businessofcollegesports.comStephen Curry and SC30 Inc. Sign Azzi Fudd to Groundbreaking Brand RelationshipCurry will mentor Fudd as part of the partnership

A few weeks ago on this newsletter we discussed top UCONN basketball recruit Azzi Fudd getting equity in a deal with sports Nutrition company BioSteel.

Her next big Brand partnership? Steph Curry (Inc.). SC 30 Inc. is the organization behind the Warriors star's off-court business and will be assisting her in brand development as well as opportunities off and on the court.

“I first learned about Azzi in 2018 when I invited her to participate at the Select Camp alongside one other female athlete… For me, this is the right time because I have identified the platforms that I have, aligning purpose over profit, and the ability to collaborate with the right partners for the right opportunities. I want to be able to unlock that for Azzi," said Curry.

Our Takeaway:

Career development opportunities have been one of the benefits of the NIL era, but a personal mentorship with Stephen Curry takes this to another level. Perhaps an appearance in the Chef Curry Game will be next. This is the type of partnership that makes us rethink the possible: like a TB12 partnership with Michigan sports stars.

NIL Deals you need to 👀

1. Aliyah Boston x Bojangles

   Andrew Petcash @AndrewPetcash

   Aliyah Boston, USC WBB She signed a deal with @Bojangles, a regional fast-food chicken chain. With a significant social media following and basketball credentials she is likely to attract other NIL opportunities in the future.

   

   2. Howard University Basketball x College Hunks Hauling Junk

   Front Office Sports @FOS

   The Howard University Men's Basketball team has signed an NIL endorsement deal with College Hunks. Covering the entire 2021-2022 season, it's the first full-team sponsorship of an HBCU in the NIL era.

   

   3. Paige Bueckers x Gatorade

   Kristi Dosh @SportsBizMiss

   Paige Bueckers has announced her second NIL deal. She just became the first-ever college athlete signed by Gatorade.

   

   businessofcollegesports.comGatorade’s First NIL Deal is With Paige BueckersBueckers becomes Gatorade’s first college athlete partner

Thanks so much for reading! This Week in NIL is brought to you by the team at 8 In The Box Productions: we create branded video content for student-athletes and brands. If you want to get in touch or provide any feedback our email is here! Finally, if you enjoyed this newsletter please consider subscribing and sharing with someone who you think would enjoy it too!