I had a great conversation with two young men absolutely crushing the NIL game (100+ deals between the two of them).

Rayquan Smith: Norfolk State

Jack Betts: Amherst College

Audio timestamps:

* 1:05 - Background intros of Rayquan + Jack

* 7:35 - Why are brands working with you and not just athletes at big schools?

* 10:00 - Favorite NIL deal + thoughts on peers getting $1M deals

* 15:00 - Advice for athletes and brands

* 18:50 - What entrepreneurial skills have you gained?

* 25:00 - Future plans for Jack + Rayquan

It was such a refreshing conversation considering all the craziness taking place in college sports right now.

More on them a little bit later (+ some helpful resources) but first, my thoughts on the alleged $9.5M high school NIL deal.

State of Florida + NIL = Craziness

On Monday it was announced that 4 star QB Jaden Rashada signed a $9.5M deal with booster John Ruiz to attend the University of Miami (after turning down an alleged $11M from Florida).

This is the kind of stuff that is going to ruin college sports.

The players deserve to be paid, but quietly.

Texas A&M alums most likely spent $30M on 2022 football recruits, but at least they kept the specific amounts quiet and are not announcing it all over social media.

You protect your players by doing that.

Now the whole world knows that Jaden Rashada is a rich 18-year-old kid with big expectations to withhold.

What happens if he doesn’t live up to his potential? Gets hurt? Gets benched?

Fans, teammates, coaches, and the media will attack him — not the boosters that paid him.

Be smarter if you’re an agent, booster, lawyer, advisor, or anyone else working hand-to-hand combat in the daily world of NIL (and stop posting everything to social media).

You don’t see tax lawyers talking about their big wins on Twitter or NFL agents talking about how much endorsement money they’ve earned their clients on Tik Tok.

As always…

…it’s the adults muddying the water in sports, not the kids.

The Programs That Will Succeed

There’s an unnamed football program in the Big 12 that is doing NIL the right way.

Local businesses, alums, and donors have come together to get every kid paid equally:

* $30,000 for all seniors

* $25,000 juniors

* $20,000 sophomore

* $15,000 freshman

The school also hosts an array of camps throughout the summer which helps the players get paid even more.

Other than that, your earning potential is up to your social media following and how hard you’re willing to hustle for endorsements.

Programs like this will be the ones that succeed over the long haul.

Schools publicly “auctioning” for players will crumble from within as the culture will deteriorate quickly.

I mean think about it….

How does Miami’s Quarterback Tyler Van Dyke feel that he is only getting paid $60,000 next year compared to a high schooler’s $2.3M/year?

Especially after he already proved himself by earning 2021 ACC Rookie of The Year.

Resources from “The Kings of NIL”

As you might have heard in the conversation, Jack reached out to Rayquan a long time ago and they’ve been helping each other ever since.

They’ve been nice enough to provide some more resources that everyone can benefit from.

1. Email Template For Athletes to Brands

Good Morning, my name is ____ and I am from Dallas, Texas. I play Quarterback for State College competing at the DII level. I am looking for NIL opportunities in which I can become an ambassador for brands of interest. I've amassed 30+ NIL deals this spring including Allbirds, PSD, BodyArmor, ReAthlete, Rhoback, TicketSmarter, and Fanatics. As a result of my success, I've been crowned the King of D2 NIL. This summer, I represented my school as a