BYU NIL Deal is a Game Changer
New NIL deal with Built Brands will elevate the Cougars' football program
NIL endorsement deals promise to alter the college recruiting landscape in profound ways going forward. BYU is making some shrewd moves to successfully navigate this new era.
BYU announced a groundbreaking NIL deal with Built Brands on Thursday. Under the terms of this new deal, all 123 players on the Cougars’ football team will receive NIL compensation equivalent to tuition costs for a full academic year. All players entering into the NIL agreement will wear Built branding on their practice helmets and participate in experiential events for the company. Walk-on players are also expected to provide additional social media and experience promotions for Built.
“We are excited to partner with BYU and all 123 players on the football team,” said Nick Greer, co-founder of Built Brands. “We are making history together.”
A Game Changer
BYU’s deal with Built Brands does have a chance to be historic in one profound way.
Striking a team-wide NIL deal puts BYU in a favorable position early in the NIL era. What the Cougars can offer will have a ripple effect on their recruiting efforts.
On the surface, opening the door to athletes to strike NIL deals had the potential to create rifts within the locker room. Star players naturally have a better chance to land endorsements because of name recognition than a scout team player buried deep on the depth chart. Such income inequality could encourage a stream of players to enter the transfer portal not because they’re searching for more playing time but because they want a better chance to land their own NIL deals.
“We are making history together.” Nick Greer, Built Brands Co-Founder.
What BYU has done with Built Brands is a smart solution to this potential dilemma. By guaranteeing the entire football roster gets NIL money, the Cougars can offer some financial stability to their players and allow them to focus on football. Discontent over a lack of NIL opportunities will diminish and this should equal less future NIL-related attrition through the transfer portal.
BYU did not hesitate to enter into a team-wide NIL deal for the specific reason that it offered walk-ons and scholarship players an equal opportunity to earn extra income.
“I love these boys, and I am overwhelmed with gratitude to be partnering with a company that is equally committed to assisting BYU football in building a culture of love and learning while enhancing the experience for all players,” head coach Kalani Sitake said.
Future NIL deals will create a greater dividing line among teams than P5 and G5 designations do now.
An NIL Template
You can be assured that BYU’s approach to striking team-wide NIL deals will become a blueprint for other schools. If athletes can join a team knowing they are guaranteed some built-in level of NIL compensation — even as a walk-on — it will become a valuable selling point in the recruiting process.
The future of recruiting will be altered by these types of NIL deals. Championships, team alumni in the NFL, and conference affiliation will take a backseat to NIL-earning potential. Future NIL deals will create a greater dividing line among teams than P5 and G5 designations do now.
You can mark it down right now that there will be an arms race between individual schools to strike the most lucrative team-wide NIL deals that can be offered as a selling point for recruits to pick that school. Traditionally elite football programs ranging from Alabama to Notre Dame will have companies lining up to strike team-wide NIL deals in exchange for having their brand prominently displayed as uniform patches, helmet decals, and so forth.
It’s a safe bet many other football teams will soon join BYU in securing team-wide NIL deals. The Cougars have opened a new door to how schools will court athletes in the NIL era.