NIL Nuggets of the Week Thread - (4/14-4/20)
In an attempt to stay tapped into all things NIL, I've sorted through and gathered some interesting NIL-centered news items today, the title of each section will redirect you to the initial article, as I did not translate all of the columns into this page. Just the best cliff notes.
I will continue adding more news as the week unfolds! Please feel free to link any informative or interesting NIL articles in this thread!
Cheers,
PS: If you'd like to advertise with Orangebloods, Sponsoring this Column or a show on Orangbloods Live, please reach out to @Sunny Nelson !
1. Colorado Athletics Selects Teamworks General Manager, Strengthening Big 12 Momentum
With this adoption, Colorado becomes the 11th of 16 Big 12 Conference programs to implement Teamworks General Manager, joining a growing movement of forward-thinking institutions investing in the future of athletic department management.
“We’re excited to expand upon our partnership with Teamworks by bringing GM on board,” said Alec Roussos, Deputy Athletics Director/Administration at Colorado. “GM will enhance the world class experience we provide for our student-athletes and allow Colorado to continue to position ourselves as leaders in the new world of College Athletics.”
Colorado Football has captured national attention with its recent resurgence, fueled by new leadership, elite talent acquisition, and a renewed commitment to competing at the highest level. The adoption of Teamworks General Manager is a strategic move that supports Colorado’s climb back to national prominence—delivering cutting-edge capabilities such as customizable player tags, advanced budgeting tools, and mock roster planning features. With GM, Colorado’s athletic leaders can make data-driven decisions that position the Buffaloes for sustained success both on the field and within an evolving collegiate landscape.
2. Divorce of Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava underscores need for NCAA to have NIL buyouts
What did college football’s braintrust think was going to happen when the figurehead NCAA followed orders from the power conference presidents in 2021 to set up a system that allowed unregulated name, image and likeness deals — and free player movement?
It should come as no surprise that Ohio State, which spent nearly $42 million last season on its football program – head coach, assistant coach and player salaries – won the national championship.
It should also come as no surprise that without critical transfers Will Howard (Kansas State), Caleb Downs (Alabama) and Quinshon Judkins (Mississippi), the Buckeyes don’t even reach the playoff.
And now we’re shocked that Iamaleava, a heralded recruit that was solid in his first-year starter in 2024 at Tennessee, was holding up the program for more cash — or else?
3. House v. NCAA Settlement Lawyers Stand Firm on Roster Limits
The settlement is “vast improvement over the status quo,” the attorneys write, and is superior to the alternative of continued litigation that could last many years.
Near the end of last week’s hearing, Wilken tellingly opined, “it’s essentially a good settlement,” signaling that she likely already deems the deal to be sufficiently fair, reasonable and adequate. As Sportico has explained, Wilken doesn’t have to find the settlement perfect or great, only that it is good enough to clear a much lower bar detailed in Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Wilken was generally positive about the settlement, which, over a 10-year period, would pay damages of about $2.8 billion to D-I athletes dating back about eight years and would establish a new system where colleges can elect to pay athletes a share of up to 22% of the average power conference athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue, with $20.5 million expected to be the initial annual cap. However, she found several details problematic.
One point of concern is that in exchange for dropping scholarship caps, the settlement institutes roster caps. Wilken understood the logic of the swap and that roster limits are common practices in sports. But she suggested softening its blows to current college athletes, who chose their schools without knowing they’d lose their spot because of a settlement, suggesting they be grandfathered in so they maintain their college sports experience.
4. Maxx Crosby Named Assistant General Manager for EMU Football
Former Eastern Michigan University defensive end and current NFL standout Maxx Crosby has been named Assistant General Manager of the EMU football team, EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee and Head Football Coach Chris Creighton jointly announced today, April 14. Crosby, the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, will assist with evaluating high school and transfer portal prospects and help manage the team’s NIL/revenue share budget. He will also serve as a Special Assistant to the Athletic Director on fundraising, alumni relations, and student-athlete support.
As part of his continued commitment to the program, Crosby also launched the “Maxx Match”—a fundraising challenge in which he will personally match all donations to EMU Football, up to $100,000, made before the end of May. To donate visit EMUEagles.com/MaxxMatch or pledge a recurring gift by contacting Jessica Nietrzeba at 734.487.0264 or jnietrze@emich.edu. This fundraising challenge comes on the heels of Maxx and Rachel’s $1 million donation to EMU football in 2023.
To further solidify the bond between Maxx Crosby and EMU Football, the program will rename the weakside defensive end position on the depth chart from “LEO” to “MAXX.” Additionally, the team’s top edge pass rusher will now wear jersey No. 92 —Crosby’s iconic number—as a tribute to his legacy and impact on the program.
5. How Much Paige Bueckers Will Earn in 2025 as WNBA No. 1 Pick
The Dallas Wings selected UConn star Paige Bueckers first overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night. The No. 1 pick was largely preordained, like Caitlin Clark in 2024, as soon as Bueckers confirmed in March her intention to enter the draft.
Bueckers’ base salary will be $78,831 for the 2025 season as part of a four-year, $348,198 contract, per details of the rookie salary scale system in the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Picks two through four are entitled to the same contract, with a team option in year four.
The 2025 rookie scale includes a starting salary of $75,643 for picks five through eight, and $72,455 for the rest of the players selected in the first round. The Year 1 base salary for second-round picks is $69,267 and $66,079 for those picked in the third round.
WNBA pay became a national conversation last year after Clark was drafted and brought enormous attention to the league, yet her base salary was just $76,535. She ultimately earned roughly $100,000 from the WNBA in 2024, including bonuses, but it was only 1% of her total income as she ranked 10th in Sportico’s highest-paid female athletes at $11.1 million.
6. Boise State is partnering with Student Athlete Score
Boise State is entering an 18-month agreement with Student Athlete Score, the startup’s second college partnership this month.
Student Athlete Score’s platform pulls in social media data (usernames, followers, etc.) and extracts insights like an athlete’s background, ongoing activations or the topics athletes post about most often. The tech’s social-listening capabilities help to plot out partnerships and marketing opportunities for athletes, schools and brands. Financials of the deal were not disclosed to SBJ.
Two weeks ago, SAS secured a multiyear agreement with Michigan, adding to a client stable that also includes USC and the Univ. of San Diego.
7. Texas Longhorns Star Arch Manning Announces First Memorabilia Partnership
In his first offseason as Texas' starting quarterback, Arch Manning is continuing to expand his NIL portfolio steadily and strategically. From recent partnerships with Red Bull, Uber and Vuori to now an expansion of his relationship with Panini America, the Longhorns' future star and NIL powerhouse is putting the pieces in place for a breakthrough 2025 football season.
Already one of the biggest names in college football, fans can now engage with Manning in new ways as he has signed his first-ever memorabilia partnership, building upon the existing exclusive trading card deal with Panini. Autographed Manning memorabilia is now available on Panini's website, including autographed photos beginning at $699.99, helmets at $999.99 and jerseys at $999.99. Other memorabilia items will also be available in the near future.
Manning and Panini have been partners since 2023, first collaborating to offer exclusive trading cards - his first NIL deal - such as a 1-of-1 Throwback Prizm Black Autographed card that auctioned for $102,500, with all proceeds donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas.
8. 'A moving target': NFL front offices adapting to transfer portal, NIL era
Cam Ward, the frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL draft on April 24, attended three schools over the course of his five-year college career. In another era – one without college athletes maintaining the ability to earn money based on their name, image and likeness and the transfer portal – the quarterback’s journey from Incarnate Word to Washington State and, ultimately, Miami (Fla.) would have been highly unlikely, if not impossible.
Instead, the new rules are the biggest driver of why Ward will likely hear his name called first by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell next week. For executives, coaches and scouts throughout the league, it’s a new reality. One that’s constantly changing and evolving – the Nico Iamaleava saga at Tennessee serving as the latest example of the uncharted territory college football and its participants find themselves occupying. And there are pros and cons to it all.
“The system is failing them in that regard but at the end of the day the coaches that get these players...these guys are a lot more NFL-ready,” Todd McShay, NFL draft analyst at The Ringer and Spotify who hosts "The McShay Show," told USA TODAY Sports.
“When you get to the NFL, and it’s much more likely that you’ve played more ball, played a higher level of ball...you’re more of a veteran football player who had to deal with the journey and moving so when you get to the league it’s not quite as much of a culture shock in terms of the talent level and the experience and even just the day-to-day life stuff,” McShay said. “For a lot of these guys with the NIL, it can be a positive thing of learning how to manage money and handle fame and fortune.”
McShay thought back to the advice former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer imparted upon him during the year they spent as teammates at ESPN.
“The hardest part of evaluating is trying to predict what a human being will do with more money, fame and free time than he’s ever had before,” Schottenheimer told McShay.
9. Jackson State After Deion: Less Revenue, More Subsidies
When Deion Sanders left Jackson State for Colorado at the end of the 2022-23 football season, JSU athletic director Ashley Robinson said the coach had elevated the football program to “unprecedented heights.” In the year after Sanders’ departure, the school leaned on subsidies to stay at those heights, despite a notable drop in revenue.
In fiscal 2023, Sanders’ last season with the Tigers, the Jackson State athletic department reported $5.2 million in student fees and direct institutional support, according to revenue and expense disclosures submitted annually to the NCAA. Those subsidies jumped to $8.5 million in fiscal 2024.
The increase offset a drop in revenue, much of which was likely related to the departure of Sanders, whose celebrity status and headline recruits made Jackson State a rare FCS football program to draw national attention. In the Tigers’ first year without Sanders, football ticket revenue fell from $3.2 million to $2 million. Department revenue from programs, parking and concessions fell from $415,000 to $128,000.
Despite that hit and what were arguably predictable revenue declines, the JSU football spending rose by 5% in the first fiscal year following Sanders’ departure—from $14.1 million to $14.8 million. The added costs were largely spread across the balance sheet, although Sanders’ replacement, T.C. Taylor, was initially paid less than his predecessor.
The university’s interim director of communications did not respond to a request for comment, and, through an athletics spokesperson, Robinson declined to participate in an interview, citing a busy schedule.
Between the 2022–23 and 2023–24 academic years, Jackson State’s tuition and mandatory fees for in-state students saw only a modest increase. However, the standard per-semester fee for nonresident students doubled, rising from $500 to $1,000. Jackson State does not provide a detailed breakdown of student fees related to athletics, making it unclear whether the additional funds subsidizing the school’s sports program come from increased fees, a reallocation of existing revenues, or a combination of both.
In an attempt to stay tapped into all things NIL, I've sorted through and gathered some interesting NIL-centered news items today, the title of each section will redirect you to the initial article, as I did not translate all of the columns into this page. Just the best cliff notes.
I will continue adding more news as the week unfolds! Please feel free to link any informative or interesting NIL articles in this thread!
Cheers,
PS: If you'd like to advertise with Orangebloods, Sponsoring this Column or a show on Orangbloods Live, please reach out to @Sunny Nelson !
1. Colorado Athletics Selects Teamworks General Manager, Strengthening Big 12 Momentum
With this adoption, Colorado becomes the 11th of 16 Big 12 Conference programs to implement Teamworks General Manager, joining a growing movement of forward-thinking institutions investing in the future of athletic department management.
“We’re excited to expand upon our partnership with Teamworks by bringing GM on board,” said Alec Roussos, Deputy Athletics Director/Administration at Colorado. “GM will enhance the world class experience we provide for our student-athletes and allow Colorado to continue to position ourselves as leaders in the new world of College Athletics.”
Colorado Football has captured national attention with its recent resurgence, fueled by new leadership, elite talent acquisition, and a renewed commitment to competing at the highest level. The adoption of Teamworks General Manager is a strategic move that supports Colorado’s climb back to national prominence—delivering cutting-edge capabilities such as customizable player tags, advanced budgeting tools, and mock roster planning features. With GM, Colorado’s athletic leaders can make data-driven decisions that position the Buffaloes for sustained success both on the field and within an evolving collegiate landscape.
2. Divorce of Tennessee and Nico Iamaleava underscores need for NCAA to have NIL buyouts
What did college football’s braintrust think was going to happen when the figurehead NCAA followed orders from the power conference presidents in 2021 to set up a system that allowed unregulated name, image and likeness deals — and free player movement?
It should come as no surprise that Ohio State, which spent nearly $42 million last season on its football program – head coach, assistant coach and player salaries – won the national championship.
It should also come as no surprise that without critical transfers Will Howard (Kansas State), Caleb Downs (Alabama) and Quinshon Judkins (Mississippi), the Buckeyes don’t even reach the playoff.
And now we’re shocked that Iamaleava, a heralded recruit that was solid in his first-year starter in 2024 at Tennessee, was holding up the program for more cash — or else?
3. House v. NCAA Settlement Lawyers Stand Firm on Roster Limits
The settlement is “vast improvement over the status quo,” the attorneys write, and is superior to the alternative of continued litigation that could last many years.
Near the end of last week’s hearing, Wilken tellingly opined, “it’s essentially a good settlement,” signaling that she likely already deems the deal to be sufficiently fair, reasonable and adequate. As Sportico has explained, Wilken doesn’t have to find the settlement perfect or great, only that it is good enough to clear a much lower bar detailed in Rule 23 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure.
Wilken was generally positive about the settlement, which, over a 10-year period, would pay damages of about $2.8 billion to D-I athletes dating back about eight years and would establish a new system where colleges can elect to pay athletes a share of up to 22% of the average power conference athletic media, ticket and sponsorship revenue, with $20.5 million expected to be the initial annual cap. However, she found several details problematic.
One point of concern is that in exchange for dropping scholarship caps, the settlement institutes roster caps. Wilken understood the logic of the swap and that roster limits are common practices in sports. But she suggested softening its blows to current college athletes, who chose their schools without knowing they’d lose their spot because of a settlement, suggesting they be grandfathered in so they maintain their college sports experience.
4. Maxx Crosby Named Assistant General Manager for EMU Football
Former Eastern Michigan University defensive end and current NFL standout Maxx Crosby has been named Assistant General Manager of the EMU football team, EMU Vice President/Director of Athletics Scott Wetherbee and Head Football Coach Chris Creighton jointly announced today, April 14. Crosby, the highest-paid non-quarterback in NFL history, will assist with evaluating high school and transfer portal prospects and help manage the team’s NIL/revenue share budget. He will also serve as a Special Assistant to the Athletic Director on fundraising, alumni relations, and student-athlete support.
As part of his continued commitment to the program, Crosby also launched the “Maxx Match”—a fundraising challenge in which he will personally match all donations to EMU Football, up to $100,000, made before the end of May. To donate visit EMUEagles.com/MaxxMatch or pledge a recurring gift by contacting Jessica Nietrzeba at 734.487.0264 or jnietrze@emich.edu. This fundraising challenge comes on the heels of Maxx and Rachel’s $1 million donation to EMU football in 2023.
To further solidify the bond between Maxx Crosby and EMU Football, the program will rename the weakside defensive end position on the depth chart from “LEO” to “MAXX.” Additionally, the team’s top edge pass rusher will now wear jersey No. 92 —Crosby’s iconic number—as a tribute to his legacy and impact on the program.
5. How Much Paige Bueckers Will Earn in 2025 as WNBA No. 1 Pick
The Dallas Wings selected UConn star Paige Bueckers first overall in the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night. The No. 1 pick was largely preordained, like Caitlin Clark in 2024, as soon as Bueckers confirmed in March her intention to enter the draft.
Bueckers’ base salary will be $78,831 for the 2025 season as part of a four-year, $348,198 contract, per details of the rookie salary scale system in the WNBA’s collective bargaining agreement. Picks two through four are entitled to the same contract, with a team option in year four.
The 2025 rookie scale includes a starting salary of $75,643 for picks five through eight, and $72,455 for the rest of the players selected in the first round. The Year 1 base salary for second-round picks is $69,267 and $66,079 for those picked in the third round.
WNBA pay became a national conversation last year after Clark was drafted and brought enormous attention to the league, yet her base salary was just $76,535. She ultimately earned roughly $100,000 from the WNBA in 2024, including bonuses, but it was only 1% of her total income as she ranked 10th in Sportico’s highest-paid female athletes at $11.1 million.
6. Boise State is partnering with Student Athlete Score
Boise State is entering an 18-month agreement with Student Athlete Score, the startup’s second college partnership this month.
Student Athlete Score’s platform pulls in social media data (usernames, followers, etc.) and extracts insights like an athlete’s background, ongoing activations or the topics athletes post about most often. The tech’s social-listening capabilities help to plot out partnerships and marketing opportunities for athletes, schools and brands. Financials of the deal were not disclosed to SBJ.
Two weeks ago, SAS secured a multiyear agreement with Michigan, adding to a client stable that also includes USC and the Univ. of San Diego.
7. Texas Longhorns Star Arch Manning Announces First Memorabilia Partnership
In his first offseason as Texas' starting quarterback, Arch Manning is continuing to expand his NIL portfolio steadily and strategically. From recent partnerships with Red Bull, Uber and Vuori to now an expansion of his relationship with Panini America, the Longhorns' future star and NIL powerhouse is putting the pieces in place for a breakthrough 2025 football season.
Already one of the biggest names in college football, fans can now engage with Manning in new ways as he has signed his first-ever memorabilia partnership, building upon the existing exclusive trading card deal with Panini. Autographed Manning memorabilia is now available on Panini's website, including autographed photos beginning at $699.99, helmets at $999.99 and jerseys at $999.99. Other memorabilia items will also be available in the near future.
Manning and Panini have been partners since 2023, first collaborating to offer exclusive trading cards - his first NIL deal - such as a 1-of-1 Throwback Prizm Black Autographed card that auctioned for $102,500, with all proceeds donated to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas.
8. 'A moving target': NFL front offices adapting to transfer portal, NIL era
Cam Ward, the frontrunner to be the No. 1 pick by the Tennessee Titans in the 2025 NFL draft on April 24, attended three schools over the course of his five-year college career. In another era – one without college athletes maintaining the ability to earn money based on their name, image and likeness and the transfer portal – the quarterback’s journey from Incarnate Word to Washington State and, ultimately, Miami (Fla.) would have been highly unlikely, if not impossible.
Instead, the new rules are the biggest driver of why Ward will likely hear his name called first by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell next week. For executives, coaches and scouts throughout the league, it’s a new reality. One that’s constantly changing and evolving – the Nico Iamaleava saga at Tennessee serving as the latest example of the uncharted territory college football and its participants find themselves occupying. And there are pros and cons to it all.
“The system is failing them in that regard but at the end of the day the coaches that get these players...these guys are a lot more NFL-ready,” Todd McShay, NFL draft analyst at The Ringer and Spotify who hosts "The McShay Show," told USA TODAY Sports.
“When you get to the NFL, and it’s much more likely that you’ve played more ball, played a higher level of ball...you’re more of a veteran football player who had to deal with the journey and moving so when you get to the league it’s not quite as much of a culture shock in terms of the talent level and the experience and even just the day-to-day life stuff,” McShay said. “For a lot of these guys with the NIL, it can be a positive thing of learning how to manage money and handle fame and fortune.”
McShay thought back to the advice former NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer imparted upon him during the year they spent as teammates at ESPN.
“The hardest part of evaluating is trying to predict what a human being will do with more money, fame and free time than he’s ever had before,” Schottenheimer told McShay.
9. Jackson State After Deion: Less Revenue, More Subsidies
When Deion Sanders left Jackson State for Colorado at the end of the 2022-23 football season, JSU athletic director Ashley Robinson said the coach had elevated the football program to “unprecedented heights.” In the year after Sanders’ departure, the school leaned on subsidies to stay at those heights, despite a notable drop in revenue.
In fiscal 2023, Sanders’ last season with the Tigers, the Jackson State athletic department reported $5.2 million in student fees and direct institutional support, according to revenue and expense disclosures submitted annually to the NCAA. Those subsidies jumped to $8.5 million in fiscal 2024.
The increase offset a drop in revenue, much of which was likely related to the departure of Sanders, whose celebrity status and headline recruits made Jackson State a rare FCS football program to draw national attention. In the Tigers’ first year without Sanders, football ticket revenue fell from $3.2 million to $2 million. Department revenue from programs, parking and concessions fell from $415,000 to $128,000.
Despite that hit and what were arguably predictable revenue declines, the JSU football spending rose by 5% in the first fiscal year following Sanders’ departure—from $14.1 million to $14.8 million. The added costs were largely spread across the balance sheet, although Sanders’ replacement, T.C. Taylor, was initially paid less than his predecessor.
The university’s interim director of communications did not respond to a request for comment, and, through an athletics spokesperson, Robinson declined to participate in an interview, citing a busy schedule.
Between the 2022–23 and 2023–24 academic years, Jackson State’s tuition and mandatory fees for in-state students saw only a modest increase. However, the standard per-semester fee for nonresident students doubled, rising from $500 to $1,000. Jackson State does not provide a detailed breakdown of student fees related to athletics, making it unclear whether the additional funds subsidizing the school’s sports program come from increased fees, a reallocation of existing revenues, or a combination of both.
10. THE PORTAL IS NOT THE ANSWER
