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Tech does the exclusive with their Matador Club. Others have many different ones and is more segmented. Which is best? Seems like it would be simpler from a messaging and administration perspective to have one. Thoughts?

Eric Morris was officially named as the 20th head coach of UNT football on December 13, 2023. That is 29 weeks or two hundred days ago. He has yet to coach a game but that will change in a couple of months. And yet there has still been a fair amount of analysis on how Morris has fared in terms of his short tenure, with a primary focus on recruiting. While many UNT football recruiting fan heads have been spinning with the advent of NIL and the Portal, Morris has put together a solid recruiting team that has had its share of success along with a normal amount of disappointment that was to be expected this early. The real tell on how good a recruiting class can be occurs years after the class is finalized. The recruiting databases, and school offers are typically the only data points we have. The recruiting services have never invested a lot of resources into analyzing borderline 3-star recruits and so you could argue that offer lists may be even more important. One aspect that could differentiate Morris from his predecessor in Seth Littrell could be how many of these classes and players inside these classes stick and stay with the program or leave, commonly referred to in the business world as attrition. Under Littrell, it was pretty bad. Just eyeing 2022, UNT showed twelve signees and nine transfers for a total of twenty-one. Of that total, six have already headed to the exits or 30 percent. Not to mention existing players who also have exited the portal, like Jyaire Shorter and Larry Nixon That 30% seems like a lot, but in this era of portal and NIL it will become a lot more commonplace. If Morris can keep that attrition down and lower the number of players entering the portal due to NIL, it could make a big difference for the program, but UNT will need to ramp up NIL funds to aid him in that regard. GMG

At the same time, a generous collective donation still has a mirage element. It is not the price of winning. There are no on-field, on-court guarantees. It’s merely the price of short-term optimism. Filling a collective’s coffers provides a jolt of adrenaline for an athletic program, however temporary. So for the garden-variety State U. collective donor, sources say, where’s the guaranteed return on investment? If the ROI is a College Football Playoff berth, that’s one thing. If the ROI is a Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl berth, that’s quite another. Well-heeled boosters have deep pockets. But those pockets are not bottomless. Leaning so heavily on donors begs the question: Is this model sustainable? “I don’t think that the current model will exist going forward,” Bubba Cunningham, the North Carolina athletic director, told On3. “The never-ending need for more resources will continue to be. But how we go about prioritizing and how we go about asking for resources is going to have to change.” More than two-thirds of NIL transactions come from school-specific collectives. Of the more than 200 collectives, some rank-and-file Power 5 school-affiliated ones raise $3 to $5 million annually, with the most ambitious SEC entities amassing anywhere from $5 to $15 million. Here’s the buzzkill: Until CFP expansion in 2024, there are only four playoff berths and only four Final Four berths. Not every season ends with a parade, so what’s the donor benefit? read more: https://www.on3.com/nil/news/what-donor-fatigue-means-as-nil-enters-its-third-year-of-impacting-college-sports-ncaa-collectives/

So I decided to check out Cuban's new website that he bought, goblue.com, and I have to say the idea is so simple but would be great to support our NIL. Just a heads up, goblue.com takes you to the Indiana NIL page with a gif of Cuban laughing as well as a coupon code for your first purchase. On the website, you can select an athlete's "locker room" and purchase Hoosiers branded gear with the proceeds going to the player who's locker you selected. Great idea and so simple. Do we have anything like this set up? My family needs new UNT shirts.

DENTON, Texas – North Texas Athletics, in conjunction with INFLCR, has announced the launch of the Mean Green Exchange to expand its ongoing Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program for student-athletes. The Mean Green Exchange is the latest innovation to help UNT student-athletes maximize NIL opportunities. This streamlined, easy-to-navigate platform is a free service to both student-athletes and third parties. It serves as a directory and customized portal to connect businesses, collectives, donors, alumni and fans with student-athletes to explore, negotiate and enter into NIL transactions. “The creation of the Mean Green Exchange and the expanded partnership with INFLCR represents another opportunity for our student-athletes to continue to grow their profile in the ever-changing NIL landscape,” Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “It is important to our mission of Building Champions and Preparing Leaders that we offer education and comprehensive resources to all of our student-athletes that allow them to build their individual brands and maximize NIL potential.” The Mean Green Exchange is a custom-designed student-athlete NIL business registry for businesses, collectives, donors, alumni, fans and others wishing to connect specifically with student-athletes at North Texas. After a business, collective, or individual registers on the Mean Green Exchange they can access a searchable database of UNT student-athletes, and filter that database through a variety of criteria. They can message the student-athlete directly in the application or request the student-athlete's contact information (or that of their representative) to start a discussion about an NIL transaction. INFLCR and North Texas will not be involved in any of the negotiations. Once an NIL agreement is reached, a customized reporting form, that is compliant with UNT’s Name, Image and Likeness guidelines, is generated and forwarded to the institution. The platform also includes a payment processing tool to securely pay the student-athletes and will be consolidated into a 1099 form that lives in the student-athlete's INFLCR app for more efficient tax reporting. Businesses, collectives or individuals can register now at www.MeanGreenSports.com/Exchange. UNT will opt-in all student-athletes, who may opt out if they choose not to participate. “We’re thrilled to provide expanded NIL resources to all UNT student-athletes through the INFLCR app,” said Jim Cavale, INFLCR President. “Now, student-athletes and businesses have one convenient place to connect and engage in NIL activity through the Mean Green Exchange. The new platform will make it easier for current and incoming student-athletes to build their NIL footprint.” About PARAMOUNT In 2021, UNT Athletics announced the launch of PARAMOUNT, a comprehensive Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program designed to educate and empower student-athletes and prepare them to optimize NIL opportunities. North Texas added a group licensing program with the Brandr Group in 2022. For additional Information, visit northtex.as/Paramount. About INFLCR INFLCR, a Teamworks product, is the leading athlete brand-building and NIL business management app for elite athletic organizations. The INFLCR athlete app educates student-athletes, coaches and staff for the NIL era in a safe and compliant environment, all powered by best-in-class content delivery for student-athletes to access and share content to their social media channels. INFLCR works with more than 250 collegiate and professional sports organizations. Impactful features like the INFLCR Local & Global Exchange provide local and national companies with the ability to find, communicate, pay, and report NIL transactions with student-athletes, maximizing their NIL earning potential with streamlined reporting for their institution and their personal tax returns. Visit inflcr.com for more information.

NCAA officials sent a letter to its membership Thursday noting its enforcement staff's pursuit of "potential violations" of the name, image and likeness compensation policy and emphasizing the need for schools to help investigations. The email came from Stan Wilcox, NCAA executive vice president of regulatory Affairs, and Jon Duncan, VP of enforcement. It said NCAA enforcement staff is "actively investigating potential abuses of NIL transactions and we'll allege any substantiated concerns as soon as possible." "We also constantly review new reports of tampering, recruiting inducements, impermissible benefits, impermissible recruiters and other related behaviors," the email said. read more: https://www.espn.com/espn/story/_/id/34420323/ncaa-asks-member-schools-help-nil-violation-investigations

The NIL era in college football has fully arrived. In June 2021, the Supreme Court ruled in NCAA v. Alston that the NCAA could no longer limit student athlete’s abilities to profit off of their name, image, and likeness (NIL). Most teams have already started taking advantage of this new landscape. For programs such as Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio State, the NIL really only makes it easier for them to remain atop the recruiting class rankings on a yearly basis. However, for smaller programs, this new recruiting tool provides a much better opportunity to level the playing field. And now, the University of North Texas is getting in on the action. Per the Denton Record-Chronicle, former school athletic director Rick Villareal and UNT booster Don Lovelace are now working to establish a collective for the Mean Green athletic program. read more: https://www.yardbarker.com/general_sports/articles/north_texas_alumni_forming_nil_collective/s1_17068_37752815

USF is becoming the latest program with a name, image and likeness collective through the launch of Fowler Ave Collective. The third-party organization — which went live Friday morning at fowleravenue.com — bills itself as a “private fan club” to support players. For monthly membership fees between $10 and $200, USF fans gain access to in-person and virtual gatherings with current players. Those players are then paid through the collective. USF quarterback Gerry Bohanon, the transfer from Baylor, has signed up as the Fowler Ave Collective’s first ambassador, according to the organization. As of last month, the recruiting website On3 counted more than 100 collectives that are already active or are expected to go live soon. The list includes Florida (the Gator Collective), Florida State (Rising Spear) and Alabama (High Tide Traditions), plus a handful of Group of Five programs such as SMU, Memphis and North Texas. Read more: https://www.tampabeacon.com/sports/usf-bulls-name-image-and-likeness-collective-launches/article_92501928-151e-11ed-a960-c368d2a8910a.html

read more: https://www.pressherald.com/2022/07/19/one-year-later-nil-has-not-crippled-ncaa-football-because-nothing-will/

The NCAA Responds with New NIL Guidance With concerns mounting, in February of this year the NCAA’s Division I Board of Directors requested that the NCAA’s Division I Council Working Group (the “Working Group”) review the effects of NIL on student-athletes, and to clarify existing NCAA rules that university and university-collective relationships may be violating. On May 9, 2022, the NCAA Division I Council Working Group issued Guidance Regarding Third Party Involvement to address compliance for universities with affiliated NIL Collectives. Specifically, the guidance states in bold lettering that many newly formed entities benefitting student-athletes under the guise of NIL — in other words, NIL Collectives — are subject to the NCAA’s rules regarding boosters: It appears that the overall mission of many, if not all, of the above-referenced third party entities is to promote and support a specific NCAA institution by making available NIL opportunities to prospective student-athletes (PSA) and student-athletes (SAs) of a particular institution, thereby triggering the definition of a booster. The guidance goes on to outline a few notable prohibitions that could be triggered by current arrangements between boosters (i.e., NIL Collectives) and potential student-athletes: Boosters may not have conversations (g., text, call) “for a recruiting purpose” with potential student-athletes, or those closely associated with the athlete; NIL arrangements may not be contingent or guaranteed based on enrollment at a particular school; University coaches and/or staff may not facilitate meetings between potential student-athletes and boosters or communicate with potential student-athletes on behalf of a booster; and NIL agreements must be based on a case-by-case analysis of the value a student-athlete brings compared to compensation or incentives for enrollment decisions, athletic performance or achievement, or membership on a specific team. Next, the guidance reiterates that similar requirements exist for current student-athletes, specifically noting that continued enrollment at a particular institution cannot be conditioned on a NIL arrangement. Finally, the guidance provides a non-exhaustive list of still-applicable NCAA legislative rules corresponding to provisions invoked by these relationships between NIL Collectives and student-athletes: Prohibition on university representation of student-athlete athletic ability or reputation;4 Public comment on potential student-athlete limited to university’s recruitment of the individual;5 Boosters may not recruit, defined as “any solicitation of a PSA or a PSA’s family members by an institutional staff member or by a booster for the purpose of securing the PSA’s enrollment …” on behalf of a school;6 Boosters may not provide financial aid or incentives to potential student-athletes unless such benefit is “the same benefit [ ] generally available to the institution’s prospective students”;7 Pay-for-play is still prohibited;8 Universities are responsible for impermissible recruiting activities engaged in “by a representative of athletics interest.”9 Taken together, the NCAA’s new guidance conveys a three-part message. First, NIL Collectives, as many currently operate, must play by the same rules that traditionally applied to boosters, Second, many current NIL arrangements may run afoul of the NCAA’s Bylaws. And third, colleges and universities can still be held responsible for the actions of NIL Collectives taken on their behalf. What is less clear, however, is whether — and how — the NCAA will enforce its Bylaws against member institutions. Read more: https://www.velaw.com/insights/nobody-did-anything-about-it-or-did-they-ncaa-releases-new-nil-guidelines-targeting-university-affiliated-nil-collectives/

DENTON, Texas – North Texas Athletics and The Brandr Group (TBG) have established a group licensing agreement for the university’s student-athletes covering all the Mean Green’s 16 sports. Joining an exclusive list of Division I TBG partners, the University of North Texas now affords its student-athletes the opportunity to combine their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) with official trademarks and logos as part of the group licensing program. “We are happy to announce today a partnership with The Brandr Group and open the door to group licensing opportunities for our student-athletes as the next phase of Paramount, our name, image and likeness program,” UNT Vice President and Director of Athletics Wren Baker said. “This relationship reinforces our commitment to Building Champions and Preparing Leaders here at UNT and will allow our student-athletes to participate in exciting opportunities in the ever-changing and growing landscape of NIL. “We believe this program will provide multiple advantages to our student-athletes and create new avenues for our tremendous fans to support the Mean Green. We are incredibly excited about this next phase, and we will continue to explore additional ways to grow opportunities here at UNT.” The partnership with TBG allows for the collective use of student-athletes' NIL in licensing and marketing programs, co-branded with University of North Texas logos and marks. Student-athletes will have the option to voluntarily join a group licensing program. TBG will facilitate group licensing opportunities on behalf of the student-athletes, and the program does not limit individual NIL rights. Potential licensees interested in learning more should contact Jim Neish at TBG. TBG, a brand management, marketing and licensing agency, will manage and administer the program as well as develop licensing opportunities on behalf of the student-athletes. With decades of collective management experience for some of the world's largest brands, TBG also manages the group rights program for the NFL, NBA and MLB players' associations in the college space. The company will develop and facilitate group licensing opportunities on behalf of current student-athletes. Some examples of group licensing include athlete’s inclusion in trading card programs, video games, and co-branded jerseys, which would include the student-athlete’s name and number, as well as University of North Texas trademarks and logos. “NIL opens up new avenues for student-athletes across college sports, and this group licensing agreement with the University of North Texas will enable its athletes to take advantage of this new environment,” said Rick Perko, Vice President of Program Development at TBG. “Through co-branded opportunities across the University of North Texas’ merchandising and sponsor portfolio, Mean Green student-athletes can benefit from their NIL. We’re excited to be working together to bring this new program to life for University of North Texas student-athletes, as well as their passionate fans who now have new ways to support their favorite players.” While no specific timeline is set, fans can expect to be able to purchase official University of North Texas merchandise as soon as TBG enters into agreements with applicable University of North Texas trademark licensees. About The Brandr Group The Brandr Group (TBG) is a brand management, marketing and licensing agency powered by a team with decades of collective management experience for some of the world’s largest brands. TBG has emerged as the leading agency in group licensing programs, with rights to over 40 college athletic programs and their student athletes in the Name, Image and Likeness category including the biggest brands in college athletics. TBG partners with prominent brands, colleges, sponsors, corporate trademarks, athletes and events to cultivate, diversify and monetize intellectual property through professional brand management and licensing endeavors. For more information, please visit tbgusa.com.

NIL Collectives - The Athletic This article is behind a paywall but it is interesting. The guys on 1310 The Ticket were talking about this. It just made me wonder if we had enough disappointed but still engaged fans/alumni to create a NIL collective of any significance? Maybe to get that one QB that wouldn't ordinarily come here but with a virtual guarante to start here as a true freshman and a NIL deal would reconsider?