Ten months into a new era of intercollegiate athletics in which student-athletes are permitted to capitalize on their name, image and likeness (NIL), exciting opportunities for current and future Vols and Lady Vols continue to take shape.
The state of Tennessee first adopted legislation governing NIL as of Jan. 1, and a recent amendment allows for Tennessee Athletics to now take a more active approach in promoting NIL opportunities for Vols and Lady Vols.
Tennessee Athletics last week activated a new, user-friendly NIL interest/intake form, which fans and/or brands interested in pursuing NIL partnerships can submit online.
Fans attending Tennessee athletic events will see scannable QR Codes on videoboards and in-venue signage to allow for quick and easy access to the NIL interest form. Taking the first step toward partnering with a Tennessee student-athlete has never been easier.
Hundreds of Tennessee student-athletes already have profited from local, regional and national NIL partnerships via in-person and/or virtual appearances, social media activation, group licensing endeavors, custom jersey and apparel sales, camps and clinics, autograph signings and more.
“We’ve put significant effort into supporting the development of new and creative ways for Tennessee student-athletes to maximize their NIL opportunities,” Tennessee Vice Chancellor/Director of Athletics Danny White said. “Our approach has been to balance our unwavering commitment to compliance with an aggressive and comprehensive exploration of all the possibilities within this space.”
Last summer, Katheryn Jones was recruited to the Tennessee Athletics staff to serve in the newly created position of Director of Name, Image and Likeness. Working collaboratively with the university’s Office of General Counsel and the athletics compliance staff, Jones manages NIL inquiries from internal and external stakeholders and coordinates programming and resources for UT student-athletes.
Those efforts have yielded significant progress benefitting Tennessee student-athletes.
“The power of the Tennessee brand has helped me and my teammates earn numerous NIL opportunities,” Vols football quarterback Hendon Hooker said. “Knoxville and the University of Tennessee is a destination to fulfill all of your aspirations – academically, athletically, socially and in the NIL space. Heading into my final season, I am grateful to take advantage of the NIL opportunities that have been presented to me in this new era.”
New local and national group licensing partnerships unlock enhanced opportunities for Tennessee student-athletes to profit off their NIL through the sale of officially licensed collegiate products such as jerseys, trading cards and video games. Across all sports, student-athletes who opt-in to such opportunities will earn a percentage of sales from all merchandise bearing their NIL.
“We have a longstanding partnership with the largest licensed sports apparel retailer in the world,” Jones said. “That global reach and infrastructure, combined with the size and passion of the Tennessee fanbase… this is an exciting time to be a Tennessee Vol or Lady Vol.”
Beyond embracing the financial benefits of this NIL era, Tennessee also proudly took a campus-wide approach to providing a robust educational component to bolster student-athletes’ long-term success and personal-brand sustainability.
In preparation for the NIL era, Tennessee Athletics worked closely with on-campus experts to enhance the university’s for-credit Entrepreneurship minor in UT’s Haslam College of Business. Several student-athletes across multiple sports have enrolled in these course offerings dating to last fall.
“The NIL classes being offered to us are something you can’t get at any other university right now,” grad transfer track sprinter Nicole Sreenan said. “Because NIL is such a new concept, there are a lot of unknowns. So, it’s great to have people willing to teach us and work through all of it. We are being given so many great resources to help build our own brands while we are at UT and make great connections for things down the line as well.”
Tennessee student-athletes also enjoy access to the expertise of leading-edge NIL-focused firm Altius Sports Partners. Altius’s staff features a diverse collection of cross-disciplinary leaders whose areas of industry expertise ranges from personal branding and media/marketing to business formation and revenue generation to legal and compliance and more.
“As an under-the-radar prospect, I didn’t have big expectations about NIL stuff when I first got to UT,” men’s basketball freshman Zakai Zeigler said. “But this city and these fans are crazy about the Vols. I’ve been amazed by the opportunities we have. They’ll find you.”
Brands and businesses—and even individual fans and families—interested in learning more about NIL protocols or pursuing partnerships with Tennessee student-athletes are encouraged to visit www.UTsports.com/NIL
In true Volunteer spirit, multiple Tennessee student-athletes have earmarked proceeds from their NIL earnings for philanthropic giving. Men’s basketball player John Fulkerson pledged a four-figure gift to the Tennessee Fund, while baseball player Jordan Beck is directing some of his NIL funds to both his high school in Alabama as well as a Knoxville-based non-profit organization.
“The University of Tennessee combined with the power of the city of Knoxville creates the perfect setting for NIL success,” Jones said. “Tradition runs deep in this community full of supportive local business and passionate fans. Our student-athletes receive personal attention that empowers them to let their individual brands shine in unique ways while also receiving the educational resources that will set them up for success during their collegiate careers and beyond.”
-UT Athletics
