A University’s Guide To An NIL Studio

A new NIL milestone was set in the early part of 2023 when Clemson University opened the Allen N. Reeves Clemson Athletics Branding Institute “The CAB” - essentially an NIL / creative hub for their student-athletes.

As far as I can tell, this is the first major physical infrastructure investment that has been made in the NIL era and it has set the precedent for excellence across other universities. Frankly, if I were another college’s athletics department I would be shaking in my boots.

Since the NIL rule change in 2021, many things have changed. The largest shift in my opinion has been a college’s relationship with professional sports and their relationship with other schools.

For the longest time, schools were fighting a two-fronted war. The first war they fought was against other schools where they were competing on housing accommodations, training facilities, and the probability of them developing and moving on to the professional stage. The second war they fought was against professional sports teams and leagues and the life-changing money that these teams could give athletes - in some cases just from a signing bonus. In this second war, college sports had no way to compete.

This talent war - in my opinion - has now shifted to a single-fronted war. There is now a uniform set of questions that an athlete needs to answer:?

1. Where will I get the best opportunity to develop as an athlete?
2. Where will I have the best opportunity to make the most money possible?

There are now two answers: college sports or professional sports.

The Emergence of the NIL Hub

I think the building of an NIL Hub like the CAB at Clemson University is the first of many strategic moves that collegiate programs will be making to retain their best talent for a few extra years before they go onto the professional level.

The best student-athletes are worth in some cases tens of millions of dollars for universities as they act as recruiting vessels for new students and new athletic talent - not to mention the real-time fandom they bring to games.

The issue these colleges are facing is how to maximize the earning potential for the school as well as the student. The road has been “cleared” for college athletes to make life-changing money while still in college. It’s now the duty of the athletics department to show them how to do it.

Colleges already have all of the resources they need at their disposal. At this stage, it’s all about allocating those resources to a structured area and putting a system in place to help their athletes utilize it.

The Utopian Version of Where This Goes

In my mind, the ideal state for this is that a University has an internal creative team that is solely dedicated to creating content for the athletes' personal use. It’s not for the college - it’s for the student.?

I think from a college’s perspective the rewards get reaped when their athletes become well-known locally and nationally.

This creates an organic connection between the athlete, the college, and the outside world and through this association builds the prowess of the university.

What A University Would Need for An NIL Hub

Organized based on largest to smallest investments, here’s what I think a university would need to get started with a NIL hub for its student-athletes.?

The Big Dogs (look at the template Clemson built out for a great example)

Hardware

• Video Studio
• Photo Studio
• Podcast Studio
• Audio Equipment
• Lighting Equipment
• Camera Equipment
• Computers

Software

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Canva Pro
• Riverside FM for remote podcasts
• Scheduling software for coordinating facility usage

Human Capital

• NIL Coordinator
• Video Editor
• Audio Engineer
• Photographer
• Videographer
• Brand Manager
• Lawyer
• Accountant

Other

• Digital Resources and Training Manuals to help athletes learn on their own time

Mid-Size

Hardware

• Video/Photo Studio
• Podcast Studio
• Audio Equipment
• Lighting Equipment
• Camera Equipment
• Computers

Software

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Canva Pro
• Riverside FM for remote podcasts
• Scheduling software for coordinating usage

Human Capital

• NIL Coordinator
• Video Editor
• Photographer
• Videographer

Small College

Hardware

• Video/Photo Studio
• Lighting Equipment
• Camera Equipment
• Computers

Software

• Adobe Creative Suite
• Canva Pro

Human Capital

• Video Editor
• Photographer
• Videographer