If I Were an Athletic Director: NIL

Welcome - I trust the wild, wild west imagery is not lost on you.?

I started with a third party marketplace (shoutout NOCAP Sports ). I spent a year in football ops with a Division 1 FBS team and consulted with the Athletics Department administration as a part of their “NIL task force.” And I have spent the last 9 months growing an NIL collective as the Director of Marketing and Athlete Engagement.?

These experiences, plus my #twitter addiction and love for All Things #NIL, have given me some good insights on best practices for Directors of Athletics in this “new era” of college sports.?

If I were an AD in 2023, here’s a brief overview of what I would be doing immediately:?

Endorse an NIL Collective

Pick 1 affiliated collective and lean all the way in. This means making introductions to donors, providing access to on-campus spaces to meet with athletes, and publicly encouraging fans to engage - all of which is allowed by the NCAA’s latest guidance. Make it known that this is our preferred group moving forward. Having too many options divides resources and is confusing for both potential sponsors and student-athletes.?

However, not all collectives are created equal. We’re starting to see collectives fold rapidly and this kind of endorsement requires an incredible amount of trust. What are my criteria for choosing which one to promote? To start, it’s run by someone with college athletics or university fundraising experience. Active on social media. Thorough website. Good reputation among the student-athletes it’s already worked with.?

Clarify Internal Policies?

NIL policy is confusing, and not all department employees are rushing to read the NCAA’s NIL updates.? Strange, I know… but coaches have enough on their plates already. Plus, these guidelines still leave some room for choice. Things like:?

1. Do we require that student-athletes report every NIL deal? Probably should (even though it’s a pain to get them to report).?
2. Do we encourage university athletics’ social media accounts to like/share/retweet student-athletes’ posts about their NIL activities? NCAA says it’s okay, so yes!?
3. Should coaches be present at collective events or donate autographed items? Again, if it’s OK with the NCAA (which it is), we’re going to do it.?

When NIL first came out, I heard from frustrated employees at various institutions who wanted some direction on how to support their athletes, or just how far to stay away.?

These are the kinds of details that can now provide a lot of clarity, and a one-page NIL FAQ on internal policies and best practices for staff would be HUGE.?

Hire a Director of NIL Strategy & Education

Internal NIL roles are starting to pop up more and more, but the job descriptions vary and I think some schools are stalling out of confusion around whom to hire to do what? Part of the role should be research-based. Look at what’s happening in the NIL world. Analyze what’s working and what isn’t. Implement the good stuff. Build on it… And be an NIL expert-in-residence for the Athletics Director.?

This role would also be heavily student-facing. I get countless text messages and DMs from student-athletes all the time: Do I have to report this deal? How do I report something in INFLCR? How do I grow my social media following? What if I want to start my own business? I’m happy to answer these questions, but I also know student-athletes thrive best with in-person instruction. I'm sure the same questions are universal, and it would be most effective to have someone in the building whom student-athletes can go to for guidance.?

Greenlight an Internal NIL Program?

This is the main reason why you hire a DNILSE (see #3). These programs are already in existence. See Louisville’s ELEVATE, Illinois’ INFLUENCE, or University of Washington’s BOUNDLESS FUTURES. The Director of NIL Strategy & Education would help to thoroughly brand this program and customize our NIL solutions to my particular university’s student-athlete population.?

While any additional services such as contract reviews or graphic design assistance are impermissible, the NCAA is pro-education. Recent guidance encourages proactively educating student-athletes on topics such as entrepreneurship, social media, taxes, financial literacy, etc.?

Call the Licensing Department

Personalized merchandise for student-athletes is becoming more common, and more accessible. However, use of university logos and titles is not. This is technically under the Communications Office’s jurisdiction, but I would tag in the licensing team to find any flexibility in allowing student-athletes to use the team logos. Perhaps the solution is an expedited request process or discounted licensing fee (which would probably have to be available to ALL students…so be it?).?

Frankly, any student-athlete who can successfully sell merchandise is well-known enough to not need the school’s logo. We are the ones missing out on free marketing. ?

Last one, just for fun: buy a ton of my student-athletes’ merchandise! The NCAA says it’s okay as long as I pay the same rate as the general public. How cool would it be to rep students in the office??

The wild, wild west is a little less intimidating when you have a map. I am not saying I have all the answers, but I believe that there are enough success stories out there and just enough NCAA guidance to help the industry determine a blueprint for the programs at any level who truly do want to embrace NIL. Let's keep swapping best practices, flag antagonist brands/partners, and be proactive. Things are only going to continue to get more complicated...Good luck to all the real ADs out there!

Looking for a breakdown of NCAA NIL guidance? This one helped me a lot.