Syracuse, N.Y. — The past few months have included eye-popping reports of $50,000 pledged to any offensive lineman who suits up for the University of Texas and a deal that could be worth more than $8 million for a five-star high school quarterback. Even a three-star defensive lineman reportedly landed a deal worth $500,000 for his career.
Those deals have been crafted by NIL collectives, a name for organized groups of fans who are pooling their money and resources to maximize the amount of money athletes at their favorite school can earn for performing NIL activities.