Most NIL Deals Pay Less Than a Used Honda
The median NIL deal is $60—not $60,000. While headlines trumpet seven-figure quarterback contracts, the gap between perceived NIL wealth and reality is poisoning the ecosystem. Brands don't engage because they assume athletes expect fortunes. Universities field complaints about "all this money" while most athletes have earned less than a textbook stipend. And the public resents wealth that doesn't exist. Here's what the data actually shows—and why it matters for brands, universities, and the future of college sports.
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This Year's NIL Playbook: What Athletes Want from Brands, Universities, and Advisors
Our survey of 1,061 student-athletes reveals a sobering reality: 58% say at least one deal "didn't deliver what was promised." Their message for 2026? Fewer deals, simpler terms, and partners who actually respond. Here's what brands, universities, and advisors need to change.
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2025 Year End NIL Report: What 1,000+ student-athletes told us
Our survey of 1,061 college athletes reveals 58% had deals that didn't deliver what was promised, and 44% want to do less NIL in 2025 — the ecosystem isn't keeping up.
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NIL: Where Brands Should Start
The brands winning in NIL aren't the ones with the biggest budgets — they're the ones who learned the basics, built simple systems, and piloted with 3-5 athletes before scaling.
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Your NIL Activation Playbook 🏀
Signing NIL deals is easy. Making them work isn't. The complete 5-step activation playbook from a Gen Z marketing founder who built athlete partnerships for Mountain Dew, Ford, and Gillette.
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