UNC athletic department publicly backs NIL collectives, other efforts for Tar Heel athletes
Posted December 2, 2022 5:19 p.m. EST
North Carolina's top athletics official wants fans and supporters to help name, image and likeness efforts that support the school's athletes, making a public declaration as NIL enters its next phase.
The NCAA in October issued new guidance allowing schools to publicly endorse NIL efforts surrounding their school. Earlier this week, football coach Mack Brown, whose team will play for the ACC title on Dec. 3, said his program and the collectives supporting it were not prepared to compete with the biggest spenders in the NIL space.
Name, image and likeness refers to athletes being able to profit off their athletic fame -- not through payments from the school -- but from endorsements, appearances, the sale of merchandise or a myriad of other ways. The NCAA approved the rule change effective July 1, 2021, setting off a new era of college athletics. While NIL payments are not supposed to be used as a recruiting inducement, they have quickly become part of recruiting both high school players and transfers from other schools.
"We support our student-athletes' ability to profit from their NIL, we thank those who have already contributed to their efforts to date, and we encourage you to assist the collectives and marketplaces that empower their success," UNC athletic director Bubba Cunningham wrote in a letter to fans and supporters.
The letter was posted prominently on the athletic department's website and co-signed by John Montgomery, the executive director of the Rams Club.
UNC highlighted several groups in its announcement, including Heels4Life (a collective for football players), Tri-Cord management (NIL collective for men's basketball), Tandem (group licenses for men's and women's basketball) and Carolina NIL Exchange (marketplace for all athletes).
"We will continue to support other collectives formed to support teams and student-athletes in the future," Cunningham wrote. "Donations and memberships to The Rams Club will continue to fund scholarships, facilities projects and team support. Nothing prevents donors from supporting any and all additional initiatives, and we hope you will do so."
Several UNC athletes have signed multiple NIL deals in the last 18 months, including men's basketball star Armando Bacot and women's basketball star Deja Kelly. Bacot said that NIL money played a role in him returning to school after last season's Final Four run. The athletic department previously held a reception to connect athletes with local businesses. Dozens of UNC athletes have signed with outside marketing agencies, including quarterback Drake Maye.
Maye, the ACC Player of the Year, said he would consider NIL opportunities after the season.
"I'll look at it more, attack it more," Maye said this week. "During the season got so (much) stuff, going place and signing stuff during the week is hard sometimes. The commercial stuff, that stuff I don't even know if I'll get attention like that."
The transfer portal officially opens on Dec. 5, allowing schools to contact players who have immediate eligibility at their new school. NIL opportunities have become part of the recruiting process.
Pack of Wolves NIL Collective, which benefits NC State athletes, announced this week it would pay scholarship football players $25,000 in 2023 for charitable works.
Other schools have made public pronouncements about their support for collectives working on their behalf. Indiana's women's basketball coach wore a sweatshirt with one of her player's number and likeness on it during a game vs. North Carolina.
"Recruiting has completely changed," Brown said. "Some people have openly said we need $10 million and not many people are in that ballpark."
Graham Boone was named executive director of Heels4Life in August. He said educating donors and businesses about NIL has been a top priority, given the abrupt change in NCAA rules. Heels4Life offers financial, educational and professional development as well.
"It's on us to tell them what the rules are, we have support for it and we're doing it the right way," Boone said. "It's truly a value add."
