How do NIL deals actually work for college athletes?
Answered independently in 4 episodes, by 4 different people. Every line below is verbatim from the transcript, timestamped to the moment it was said.
What the archive says
01For most athletes, realistic NIL upside is free food, free clothes, and free gear from a few TikToks or Instagram stories; only the elite of the elite get paid big for content. source →
02The most misunderstood part of NIL for elite high schoolers is deal structure — one-year versus two-year terms, guaranteed money, and built-in escalators — since schools are pushing one-year deals as the norm. source →
03NIL money follows attention, not just talent — if an athlete can't bring an audience or eyeballs to a brand, the deals won't come. source →
04Treat NIL deals as influencer marketing: a player's value is driven by athletic ability plus the school's TV impressions, which is why an Ohio State athlete out-earns a New Mexico State one. source →
What 4 people actually said
Actually, we'll give some of these schools credit Syracuse has done an unbelievable job of marrying their communications with their business school and journalism school and how that all comes together. But you're absolutely seeing in school, the schools need to basically give these kids resources and the good schools that are doing it are figuring out how they leverage their college students to support their NIL efforts and teaching athletes how to grow on social.
This former college basketball star faced everything from a career threatening ACL tear to the intense struggles of mental health proving the battle off the court is the hardest one to win. Join Breven Galloway as he reveals his incredible seven-year journey navigating four different schools capitalizing on the chaos of early NIL deals and transitioning to professional basketball in Lithuania.
So there's real money being far around with NIL. And I think of it really back to just, it's just, it's influencer deals.
And then obviously, when I started with my agent, it just took off from there in the last two years, it was crazy. And it's crazy to think about how my whole college career got extended and I was able to capitalize up to years of NIL, which was life changing.
4 episodes answer this
The Business of NIL: Parents, Brands, and the Power Behind College Sports | Justin J. Giangrande
Brevin Galloway: Inside the Mind of a D1 & Professional Athlete
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