The NIL Edge - May 15, 2025
The NIL Edge – May 15, 2025
Weekly insights at the intersection of sports, business, and personal brand strategy.
This Week’s NIL Highlights
1. Leading with Professionalism: A Call to Action
This week begins with a reminder that character, conduct, and consistency still matter. In a recent post, I stressed the importance of professionalism for athletes and coaches navigating the NIL era. While NIL deals offer unprecedented opportunities, those opportunities should be met with equally high levels of preparation, poise, and responsibility. As the spotlight grows brighter, so too should athletes’ and coaches’ commitment to acting like the professionals they aspire to become. Read more here:
2. Kentucky Basketball’s $200 Million NIL Boast
Kentucky head coach Mark Pope made waves by joking that the school has “invested almost $200 million” into its basketball roster through NIL deals. While clearly exaggerated, the actual 2025-26 roster is reported to exceed $20 million in NIL value. But maybe it’s a preview of coming events??
Source: A Sea of Blue
3. Louisiana Governor Issues NIL Executive Order
On May 13, 2025, Louisiana Governor Jeff Landry signed an executive order shielding state schools from NCAA punishment for NIL-related activity while barring the use of state-allocated funds for athlete compensation. The move is part of a broader trend of state-led NIL regulation amid ongoing uncertainty at the federal level.
Source: New Orleans City Business
https://neworleanscitybusiness.com/blog/2025/05/14/louisiana-nil-order-college-athlete-compensation/
4. Revenue Sharing, Buyouts, and New NIL Reform Concepts
As federal courts weigh a $2.8 billion NCAA antitrust settlement, new reform ideas are surfacing, including direct revenue sharing with athletes, performance-based contracts, incentivizing staying at the school, and buyout clauses for transfers. Some are even considering a “train here, play there” model akin to the NBA G League or dual-institution programs already being piloted in Division III.
Source: Associated Press
https://apnews.com/article/5f7008a63c974ec1a3b09e9f99ed12b9
5. Missouri High Schooler Signs Multi-Million Dollar NIL Deal
The Miami Hurricanes landed a top offensive line prospect with what’s believed to be a multi-million dollar NIL deal, reportedly signed while the athlete was still in high school. The race to secure elite talent through NIL is reaching younger and younger recruits.
Source: Sports Illustrated
Stay informed. Stay ahead. That’s the NIL Edge.
Ready to build your NIL strategy with a coach who’s helped lawyers, executives, and athletes do just that? Reach out at judyselby.com.
