The NIL Edge – August 21, 2025
The NIL Edge - Week of August 14, 2025
Welcome back to The NIL Edge, your weekly briefing on the latest Name, Image, and Likeness developments in college athletics. This week underscores NIL’s expanding reach, from national policy shifts to institutional innovation, collegiate partnerships, and grassroots deals, revealing a super dynamic and rapidly maturing ecosystem.
Key Highlights of the Week
1. $2.8B NCAA Settlement Drives Direct Revenue-Sharing
A landmark transformation has arrived: as of July 1, 2025, Division I schools can allocate up to $20.5 million annually to student-athletes through revenue-sharing pools, accompanied by enhanced education and scholarship benefits. Meanwhile, backpay for former athletes (2016–2024) remains tied up in ongoing legal appeals, potentially delaying payouts until 2026. Source: Connextions Pro – https://www.connextions.pro/college-athletes-enter-a-new-nil-era-august-2025-updates
Adding to the momentum, over 310 Division I schools, including 21 HBCUs, have committed to revenue-sharing models, indicating that direct compensation is now increasingly normalized across collegiate sports. Wow Source: Connextions Pro – https://www.connextions.pro/college-athletes-enter-a-new-nil-era-august-2025-updates
2. Jacksons Food Stores Extends NIL Reach to Retail
In a creative twist, Idaho-based Jacksons Food Stores has renewed its NIL-linked partnership with Boise State Bronco football, becoming the exclusive retailer for the team’s 2025–26 collectible trading cards. Priced at $12.99, each pack contains 14 cards, and one in 10 includes a player-signed 'signature' card! Source: Convenience.org – https://www.convenience.org/Media/Daily/2025/August/19/1-Jacksons-Launches-New-NIL-Partnerships_Marketing
Plus, athletes Latrell Caples and Breezy Dubar will appear on Jacksons’ marketing materials, including social media and billboards. In-game promotions include: a 49¢ fountain drink offer when Caples scores and a discounted '”Breezy Bundle” (hot dog + drink) for $1 when Dubar scores. Check out the details! Source: Convience.org – https://www.convenience.org/Media/Daily/2025/August/19/1-Jacksons-Launches-New-NIL-Partnerships_Marketing
3. Northern Illinois Thrives Despite Modest NIL Resources
Northern Illinois is redefining competitive advantage. Despite operating with an NIL budget far lower than Power Five schools, NIU secured an 8-win season, beat Notre Dame, and landed a top-2 recruiting class in the MAC. Head coach Thomas Hammock attributes success to player development and execution, not NIL spending, remarking that if you placed both teams in blank jerseys, they’d be indistinguishable in effort and discipline. Hmmm. Source: CBS Sports – https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/how-northern-illinois-with-the-money-of-a-single-a-club-is-thriving-with-development-in-nil-era
4. Surge in NIL Deals Across Women’s & Olympic Sports
During the week of August 11, several standout NIL partnerships surfaced across diverse sports disciplines:
- Tambree Bell (Boise State women’s soccer) linked with Sports Research.
- Maddie Lawlor (Michigan State field hockey) secured a deal with MSU Federal Credit Union.
- Laci Bohannan (Central Arkansas volleyball) partnered with VKTRY Gear.
- Kamorea “KK” Arnold (Connecticut women’s basketball) signed with PROfeel.
- Johnny Livingstone (Wisconsin track & field/XC) joined forces with UW Credit Union.
- Flau’jae Johnson (LSU women’s basketball) got on board with JBL.
- Britain Beshears (Michigan State softball) also signed with MSU Federal Credit Union.
- Riley Ammenhauser (Oklahoma/Michigan women’s track & field) collaborated with Dick’s Sporting Goods.
- Addison Fatta (Oklahoma women’s gymnastics) inked a deal with GK Elite.
Source: NIL Newsstand – https://www.nilnewsstand.com/updates/nil-deals-recap-august-11-2025
This week’s developments paint a clear picture: NIL has matured into a multi-faceted engine powering collegiate sport innovation. From legal reforms enabling direct payments and revenue-sharing, to retail partnerships amplifying athlete visibility, to resourceful programs like Northern Illinois harnessing development over dollars, NIL continues to expand its influence. The rising roster of deals across women’s and Olympic sports reinforces the movement’s inclusiveness and momentum. Collectively, these signals mark NIL’s evolution from a niche trend into a structural pillar of college athletics.
Stay tuned next week for more insights, deal highlights, and policy shifts.
Full Citations
1. Connextions Pro. “College Athletes Enter a New NIL Era: August 2025 Updates.” Published August 2025. Available at: https://www.connextions.pro/college-athletes-enter-a-new-nil-era-august-2025-updates
2. Convenience.org. “Jacksons Launches New NIL Partnerships.” Published August 19, 2025. Available at: https://www.convenience.org/Media/Daily/2025/August/19/1-Jacksons-Launches-New-NIL-Partnerships_Marketing
3. CBS Sports. “How Northern Illinois, with the money of a ‘Single-A’ club, is thriving with development in NIL era.” Published August 19, 2025. Available at: https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/how-northern-illinois-with-the-money-of-a-single-a-club-is-thriving-with-development-in-nil-era
4. NIL Newsstand. “Last Week’s NIL Deals Recap | Week of August 11th, 2025.” Published August 17, 2025. Available at: https://www.nilnewsstand.com/updates/nil-deals-recap-august-11-2025
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