Tag: NIL

Alabama AD Greg Byrne calls on Crimson Tide fans to ‘fight back’ with NIL

Alabama’s athletic director commented on NIL via a statement Wednesday.

In the growing landscape of college athletics today, NIL continues to become more-and-more of a factor in the day-to-day of programs across the country.

This thought is likely echoed by many across college football, with athletic programs seemingly starting to get in bidding wars in order to potentially acquire talent via recruiting and the transfer portal.

Many in athletic departments across college football have commented on this before also, the latest of which was Alabama Crimson Tide athletic director Greg Byrne on Wednesday afternoon via a statement on social media.

“Over the past few years, there have been drastic changes in college athletics,” Byrne said. “We have been careful during this transitional period to protect our position at the top of college athletics while being mindful to listen, engage and learn from our generous supporters, proud alumni and unrivaled fans to make sure that we protect our great traditions here at Alabama. But there’s a time for talk and a time for action. Now is a time for action.”

“Although we have been competitive from an NIL standpoint, our competition has us in their sights and are actively trying to surge ahead with NIL. You have heard examples of other teams using promises of million-dollar paydays to lure away our players or convince them not to come to Alabama. It is time for the Bama Nation to fight back.”

In the statement Wednesday, Byrne called on Alabama fans to “fight back” with NIL by donating to Alabama’s “Yea Alabama.”

The full statement from Byrne posted Wednesday on social media can be found below:

Arike Ogunbowale surprises Hannah Hidalgo for Red Bull partnership

The Irish’s past and present come together.

Notre Dame legend [autotag]Arike Ogunbowale[/autotag] already had a partnership with Red Bull. That mainly was because she had become a professional athlete. That opportunity was not available to her when she was with the Irish.

Times have changed though, and the NIL era has made it possible for college athletes to be paid. To that end, current Irish standout [autotag]Hannah Hidalgo[/autotag] has partnered with Red Bull herself now. That means the Irish’s past and present have come together in the corporate world.

The only thing Ogunbowale could do was surprise Hidalgo as she was being interviewed by Red Bull. Before Ogunbowale could enter the room though, Hidalgo admitted that she was cheering against the Irish before Ogunbowale hit her legendary championship-winning shot, which changed her perception.

When asked by Ogunbowale who would win a game between the current Irish and the program’s last national championship team, Hidalgo unsurprisingly picked her team. Still, the fact that they’re in the same room together, even if only for marketing purposes, is enough to make Irish fans happy:

https://www.instagram.com/caa_basketball/p/DDdJ12ovG8K/?hl=en

Here’s hoping this is the start of a long and fruitful relationship between Hidalgo and Red Bull.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Texas A&M among the top programs in the country in NIL Collective funding

Texas A&M is one of the leaders in NIL Collective earnings per the latest NCAA release

Like every major sports program in the country, Texas A&M Athletics is dealing with the ever-changing landscape of NIL and NIL Collectives, especially in Texas, where directly paying athletes is still legally prohibited.

While it’s hard to measure which University is excelling in landing top athletes through NIL initiatives, the newest NCAA rankings, which measured the top NIL Collective fundraisers during the 2024 season, especially for every major football program.

For those unaware of what an NIL Collective is, here is the most straightforward definition:

“NIL collectives are independent organizations that fundraise money for various universities and give it to attending college athletes in the form of NIL agreement payouts. Several NIL collectives guide their athletes through the NIL endorsement landscape”

For Texas A&M and the University of Texas, Collectives are vital to landing top recruits in every sport, especially football. While the Longhorns are excelling in Collective funding, the Aggies aren’t far behind and are the second most successful University in the newest NCAA rankings,

  1. Texas: $22.2 M
  2. Ohio State: $20.2 M
  3. LSU: $20.1 M
  4. Georgia: $18.3M
  5. Texas A&M: $17.2M
  6. Michigan: $16.3M
  7. Alabama: $15.9M
  8. Florida: $15.9M
  9. Clemson: $15.2M
  10. Oklahoma: 14.8M

Concerning Texas A&M Football, the future is bright under head coach Mike Elko, who is well aware of the importance of NIL Collective funding and competing with the Longhorns, who are now SEC members.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Cameron on X: @CameronOhnysty.

12th Man Foundation introduces ‘Priority Point Policy’ for Texas Aggies United donations

“As adopted by the 12th Man Foundation Board of Trustees, the new policy applies to eligible contributions made on or after Nov. 15, 2024.”

In the new Name, Image and Likeness era of college football, Texas A&M fans who choose to support the student-athletes with their wallets will now be prioritized.

“The 12th Man Foundation is pleased to announce that priority points will now be awarded for contributions to Texas Aggies United, the official NIL partner of Texas A&M Athletics,” a news release stated. “As adopted by the 12th Man Foundation Board of Trustees, the new priority point policy applies to eligible contributions made on or after Nov. 15, 2024.”

As stated on the foundation’s website, the new system will determine who gets the best parking, seats and much more in Aggieland.

“Seating and parking for all ticketed sports is based on your priority point ranking,” the website stated. “Ranking determines future ticket allocation and seating priority for all ticketed sports as well as parking assignments when applicable.”

Imagine how much money Johnny Football would’ve legally made during his prime in College Station. Thanks for the Kyle Field upgrades, Mr. Manziel!

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.

Cooper Flagg has highest NIL valuation in men’s college basketball, per On3

Before starting his first regular-season game, Cooper Flagg leads men’s college basketball in NIL valuation per On3’s calculations.

The Duke men’s basketball team enters the 2024-25 season with a lot of hype for plenty of reasons. One of the biggest, though, is five-star freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag], who readies for his debut as one of the most highly touted freshmen in recent memory.

In terms of the new era of NIL money, he’s making a lot of it. According to the On3 men’s basketball NIL valuation rankings, Flagg is worth roughly $2.6 million, good enough for the highest total in the sport.

While the Maine native has a handful of deals, two of Flagg’s most notable endorsement agreements came with Gatorade and New Balance.

The New Balance deal, which came first, was announced back in August.

“The connection with New Balance as a family company and a company with Maine roots means a lot to me,” Flagg told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski when the partnership was announced. “My mom used to go to the tent sale for back-to-school shopping there when we were kids. That really aligns the brand with my roots. It’s a perfect fit.”

His most recent deal with Gatorade was revealed just on Tuesday, making him the first men’s college basketball player to sign with the company.

“This has been a big year for me on and off the court, and Gatorade has been there the whole way,” Flagg said in a news release. “From being named the Gatorade Best Male Player of the Year to now officially joining the team, it’s been surreal to have my name mentioned with some of the biggest names in basketball. The Gatorade roster is iconic, and I’m excited to work with them as I take this next step.”

On3 also factors Flagg’s Instagram account, which boasts more than 800,000 followers, in his valuation.

Utah Jazz ownership offers to help BYU land nation’s No. 1 prospect

AJ Dybantsa could command over $4M in NIL money, and the Utah Jazz ownership could help the BYU Cougars land the No. 1 overall prospect.

The BYU Cougars are one of seven teams reportedly still in the running for AJ Dybantsa, the top high school prospect in the country and a player with legitimate superstar potential. But it sounds like landing the Utah Prep star is going to cost a pretty penny…or slightly more.

Dybantsa is expected to land an NIL package over $3 million, and a source close to the BYU program told Pete Nakos that the Cougars are prepared to pay $4-4.5M to land the 6’9 wing, with financial backing coming from Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith and executive and former BYU standout Danny Ainge.

Dybantsa wrapped up an official visit at BYU on Oct. 11, his fifth OV in the last six weeks. Previous visits included Kansas State, Kansas, North Carolina, and Alabama. Auburn and Baylor are the two other schools in Dybantsa’s top seven.

While Dybantsa’s father indicated NIL is not a driving factor in his son’s recruitment, the allure of staying in Utah and playing in the Big 12, and potentially teaming up with current teammate and four-star point guard prospect JJ Mandaquit, could lead to a seismic shift in the college basketball landscape.

Ever since former Phoenix Suns assistant coach Kevin Young took over for Mark Pope at BYU this offseason, the Cougars have gone to work bringing high profile talent to Provo. Russian guard and incoming freshman Egor Demin is considered a one-and-done talent, while Purdue decommit Kanon Catchings has that potential as well.

It appears Young has the green light to pursue anyone and everyone he can convince to join his program, no matter the cost. When NBA ownership groups are in your pocket, in this day and age, just about anything is possible on the hardwood.

Former Crimson Tide QB slams ‘different era’ at Alabama, blames TikTok and NIL

A.J. McCarron goes off on Alabama.

In parts of four seasons at quarterback for the Alabama Crimson Tide from 2010-13, A.J. McCarron was a part of two national championship teams and enjoyed four victory cigars against the Tennessee Volunteers in the ‘Third Saturday in October’ rivalry.

It’s been over 10 years since McCarron last suited up in an Alabama uniform, but the former quarterback isn’t happy with what he sees from the Crimson Tide, especially after last week’s 24-17 loss to Tennessee that dropped Alabama to 5-2 and marked their second loss in three games under first-year coach Kalen DeBoer.

Appearing on the McCready & Siskey podcast this week with hosts Neal McCready and Tyler Siskey, McCarron tore into what he called a “different era” at Alabama, one that has seen a noticeable lack of discipline.

He claims that players are too focused on social media apps like TikTok and on the “personal gain” they can get from NIL initiatives.

“I think for sure the standard that everybody was used to for so long after Alabama went through a bunch of hell leading up to those glorious years, I think it’s definitely a different era,” McCarron said on the podcast. “I don’t think you’ll see the same standard from discipline, just things that the team seems to do.

“And it’s a new day and age. Everybody’s worried about f****** TikTok and having a reel and being on highlights from their personal self and personal gain and how much money they can get from NIL. I mean, we just didn’t have that s*** back then. So, it was a team sport. You came together as a team because you had one common goal, because you knew that’s how you were going to make your money was by winning.

“Winning attracts people to that program. It attracts scouts, GMs. It attracts ownership to allow yourself to have that opportunity to go make yourself a lot of money and change your family tree for a long period of time. You can just tell it’s not the same. So, I would think ‘Bama fans should get used to that in a way of, ‘Hey, it’s not gonna be what you knew from 2008 up ’til last year where there was just a certain standard.'”

McCarron was quick to add that he wasn’t attacking DeBoer or any other members of the Crimson Tide’s coaching staff.

“That’s not a knock on the coaching staff or a knock on anybody,” he said. “It’s just a different era. I think it’s just something that (the fans are) gonna have to buckle up if they’re not ready for it.”

It’s not the first time McCarron has sounded off on his former team.

Following Alabama’s 23-17 loss to Ole Miss in October 2014 during McCarron’s first year away from the program as a rookie with the Cincinnati Bengals, he called out the team for not having “true leaders.”

Nick Saban responded to McCarron’s comments at the time by saying, “I don’t know how A.J. would really know, but I don’t necessarily see that as the case.”

Alabama is ranked No. 15 in this week’s US LBM Coaches Poll. The Crimson Tide host the No. 17 Missouri Tigers this Saturday at 2:30 p.m. at Bryant-Denny Stadium. The game can be seen on ABC.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on X, and like our page on Facebook for ongoing coverage of Alabama news and notes, plus opinions. 

Legendary Oklahoma coach questions if Sooners can compete with Texas

Barry Switzer joined the Paul Finebaum Show to discuss his beloved Sooners and how they measure up to Texas on the NIL front.

The college football world isn’t that far removed from the Texas 34-3 thumping of Red River rivals, the Oklahoma Sooners. This is the second time in three seasons under head coach Brent Venables that OU failed to score a touchdown in their biggest regular season game of the year. In 2022 and 2024, Texas outscored Oklahoma 83-3. That is a tough pill to swallow.

The Sooners did get a measure of retribution last season handing the Longhorns its lone regular season loss of the year. Texas would eventually go on to win the Big 12 and earn a spot in the College Football Playoffs, while Oklahoma was relegated to playing in the Alamo Bowl.

These Sooners don’t look like the teams under head coach Bob Stoops or Barry Switzer.

On the “Paul Finebaum Show” Switzer alluded to the fact that the Texas Longhorns are far ahead of Oklahoma and it may be difficult for the Sooners to catch up.

“We’re short in a lot of areas, Paul,” Switzer stated on the show. “We need help all across there. Defensively, we’re probably better than we are offensively. We’re short offensive line, with running backs, receivers, quarterback. Every area of the offense needs help, and it’s gonna take a while to get there. But I think they can. I don’t know. I question sometimes with NIL whether we can or not, whether we can compete against Texas every year. They can raise more money than we can. We’re a small state, we’ve only got 3.5 million people and it’s gonna be more difficult than it is for the University of Texas, where they’ve got 35 million people. A wealthier state and people to be able to support the programs. We’ll have to wait and see.”

You can see the full interview below:

Notre Dame freshman basketball player signs NIL deal with major company

Congrats Sir!

The Name, Image, and Likeness era of collegiate sports has changed the landscape significantly, and Notre Dame has made strides in that department.

Recently, the university announced its collective “RALLY” as they move forward with helping its student-athletes get deals. While Irish freshman basketball player [autotag]Sir Mohammed[/autotag] didn’t get a deal with the school sponsored program, he did sign one with [autotag]Priority Sports[/autotag].

They announced their partnership on Monday, as the full-service sports agency who is based out of three major cities, Chicago, Los Angeles and Atlanta, will have Mohammed as part of its collegiate roster.

As one of the top prospects in the 2024 class, No. 68 overall in the 247Sports Composite Rankings, the 6-foot, 7-inch and 205-pound guard is expected to have a major impact for the Irish basketball team as they set to begin their season in the coming weeks.

Congrats Sir on your NIL deal with Priority, as they are surely more to come as he continues his collegiate career.

Notre Dame basketball set to release YouTube documentary next week
Notre Dame men’s basketball players listen to head coach Micah Shrewsberry talk through a drill during an open practice at Rolfs Athletics Hall on Thursday, July 18, 2024, in South Bend.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Mike on X: @MikeFChen

NCAA terminates national letter of intent program that has existed for 60 years

On Wednesday morning, the committee approved the NLI program to become apart of the NCAA’s signing and recruiting rules immediately.

The National Collegiate Athletics Association Division I Council voted last week to officially terminate its national letter of intent program.

On Wednesday morning, the committee approved the NLI program to become apart of the NCAA’s signing and recruiting rules immediately. However, a hearing will be held on April 7, 2025 to formally approve the decision.

Beginning in 1964, the NLI program has served as the binding agreement between the top high school athletes in the nation and the “non-profit” collegiate governing body. The agreement is going to be replaced by a new financial contract which aligns with the transition that the NCAA has recently gone through regarding athletes being able to profit off their respective Name, Image and Likeness.

There is an impending revenue sharing model that will be presented following NIL becoming a normal aspect of collegiate sports. Early signing day is on Dec. 4 and National Signing Day will take place on Feb. 5.

Contact/Follow us @AggiesWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Texas A&M news, notes and opinions. Follow Shaun on Twitter: @Shaun_Holkko.