TCU boosters are getting on board with NIL, unveiling new program for student-athletes
.JPG "TCU supporters announced a NIL program this week called “Think NIL.”")
TCU football coach Sonny Dykes made it clear how much of an impact student-athletes being able to profit off their name, image and likeness (NIL) had in different schools assembling the 2022 recruiting class.
Dykes didn’t specifically mention the University of Texas, but clearly hinted at UT gaining a competitive advantage through a program called “Horns with Heart” started by Longhorn boosters that will pay offensive linemen $50,000 per year.
“Name, image and likeness was not supposed to be an enticement to attend a university, but like everything else you draw conclusions and connect the dots,” Dykes said during his early signing day news conference Wednesday. “Well, they’re paying this guy, let’s say $50,000 a year, all right, well, ‘I play that position.’ They’re going to pay all the guys $50,000 a year, so that means I’m going to get $50,000. You sit there and think, if I’m there five years and make $50,000 a year, it’s a quarter-million dollars. That would be an enticement for anybody.
“That’s where it’s headed, you know what I mean? It’s like anything else, everyone has to decide what their appetite is and act appropriately.”
Well, it appears that TCU boosters and donors are ready to go all-in on the NIL era.
Frogs supporters announced a new program called “Think NIL” just hours after Dykes’ news conference that is aimed at “facilitating and maximizing NIL opportunities for TCU student-athletes by connecting them with local, regional and national businesses and brands.”
The program did not publicly reveal any monetary pledges for specific programs or players, but it is expected to become a similar entity as UT’s “Horns with Heart” initiative.
Among TCU alumni involved in the project include Ricky Stuart, the founder of Chicken Express. Guillermo Zamarripa, who earned his master’s of business administration at TCU, is spearheading the group with his Fort Worth-based sports marketing agency The Marketing Jersey.
“We are uniquely positioned to offer services beyond the technicalities and scope of NIL deals. Our capabilities as an agency go from strategy creation to tactic execution and include a wide array of production services that fit our clients’ custom needs,” Zamarripa said in a news release. “Our 360 approach will allow clients to focus on their core business while successfully capitalizing on NIL deals.”
Added Stuart: “Investing in youth should be a mission for all of us. I bet all of us can name multiple people who used their time, treasures and talents to help shape our lives as young people. We are here to do the same for the next generation.”
Stuart described the NIL era as “the new guerrilla marketing” for companies. Given how many followers and influence players have on different social media outlets, that could be intriguing to companies looking to spread the word on something such as a deal of the day.
And Stuart believes that TCU is unique compared to other schools given its location in a major city with hundreds of businesses. Moreover, Stuart feels that even though TCU may have a smaller alumni base it is cohesive compared to other schools.
“The NIL is a new deal but the best part about TCU is we’re a small group but we’re a cohesive group,” Stuart said. “All of the NIL groups are going to talk and say here’s who we’re helping and here’s what we’re looking into.
“We have to embrace it, just like the transfer portal.”
Stuart also hopes TCU supporters serve as mentors to the players in helping them manage the money properly. He recalled ESPN’s 30 for 30 episode “Broke” that detailed how many professional athletes end up under financial stress shortly after their playing days end.
Focus on local
Think NIL is expected to focus on generating NIL revenue for student-athletes through local businesses.
“I believe local is the way to go,” Zamarripa said. “A lot of our efforts and investments are going to be geared towards providing value to those local businesses that want to engage with student-athletes but have no idea how to do that in an effective and compliant way.”
Former TCU soccer goalkeeper Emily Alvarado will serve as an “athlete liaison” for the program.
At the end of the day, TCU coaches should be pleased to see TCU supporters stepping up in this category.
As Dykes put it, “It looks like name, image and likeness is here to stay and certainly looks like something you get on board with and stay competitive, or you don’t and get left behind very quickly.
“I’m certainly not complaining. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not complaining. That’s the nature of college football. If I don’t change, I’ll get swallowed up. I think we all have to do that. Not only do we have to keep up but we have to think of ways to get ahead. We have to figure out what we can do to gain a competitive advantage. That’s what college athletics is all about. That’s what business is all about. What’s the competitive advantage that we can gain and how can we gain it?”
Dykes went on to say: “I’m a believer in free enterprise, market value and all those type of things and always believed that the player kind of got the short end of the stick when it came to earning a lot of money for the university. The value of a scholarship is very significant and these guys have some tremendous benefits. But, at the end of the day, I never felt like that the money they were generating was quite distributed to the kids the way it ought to be and NIL is now the opportunity for us to do that.”
TCU men’s basketball coach Jamie Dixon agreed, and believes that the NIL era has a chance to become a positive for the Frogs. TCU is located in one of the largest cities in the country with more and more businesses and people moving here by the day.
If the NIL category is done properly, TCU has a chance to become a destination school for elite athletes across the country.
“We’ve embraced it,” Dixon said. “It’s something that’s going to be a benefit for us. It has to be.”
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 5:53 PM.
