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Illinois offensive lineman Vederian Lowe (79) in action during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Rutgers on Saturday, Nov. 14, 2020, in Piscataway, N.J. Lowe is supporting a family and hopes to profit from the new NIL law.
"The opportunity is too good to pass up," said Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez, "and thankfully we have great people here at Nebraska that have helped me kind of get outside my comfort zone and become somewhat of a content creator."
Wisconsin Badgers tight end Jake Ferguson (84) celebrates his 4th quarter touchdown catch with Wisconsin Badgers offensive lineman Josh Seltzner (70). Wisconsin players, and college athletes from all over the country, can now profit from their name, likeness and image thanks to a new law.
Illinois athletic director Josh Whitman speaks during a name, image and likeness open house Tuesday at the Henry Dale and Betty Smith Football Performance Center.
Illinois guard Trent Frazier hits a three against Penn State during the first half on Jan. 19, 2021, at the State Farm Arena. Frazier already has T-shirts ready to go on sale Thursday.
Safeties Jeremy Chinn (2) and Michael Elbert (37) think they successfully stripped and recovered the ball from wide reciever Je'Quan Burton during a team scrimmage at Saluki Stadium in 2018. Chinn is profiting from endorsements now as an NFL player, but SIU players can now profit while in college thanks to the new NIL law.
Illinois State tailback James Robinson (25) beats Morehead State cornerback Kordell Brown for a touchdown in their nonconference game Saturday, Sept. 7, 2019, at Hancock Stadium. Robinson is profiting from endorsements now as an NFL player, but ISU players can now profit while in college thanks to the new NIL law.
Eastern Illinois guard Mack Smith scores two of his team-high 25 points in a Feb. 13, 2020, loss to SIUE. Smith has transferred to Western Michigan, but the fame he gained at EIU from breaking the consecutive games with a 3-pointer made record could garner him endorsements.
Jimmy Garoppolo threw 53 touchdowns and won the 2013 Walter Payton Award in his final season as Eastern Illinois' quarterback. Garoppolo would have been a hot commodity in the area for endorsements during his time at EIU with the new NIL law.
IN THEIR WORDS: Midwest athletes, officials talk name, image, likeness
Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez
"The opportunity is too good to pass up and thankfully we have great people here at Nebraska that have helped me kind of get outside my comfort zone and become somewhat of a content creator."
Illinois senior guard Trent Frazier
"As far as tangibles, I've been working for two weeks now, obviously hearing that the bill was going to be signed before July. I've been working on deals and having ideas with gaming and streaming live (for profit). I've been creating my own brand with shirts, jackets, hoodies and a bunch of stuff that I've had in the works that I'll have ready July 1. I'm super excited to put that out there and to see the Illini fans, the Illini community support me."
University of Wisconsin Athletic Director Chris McIntosh
"I think, if done correctly, there is a healthy, productive way for athletes to capture opportunity that will present itself in the future. I think we have to be really careful about making sure, as I mentioned, that our athletes come first and their interests come first to this.
"I worry about enticement in recruiting. I worry about bad business deals for young people because it could turn into a predatory environment. So we have a responsibility to make sure that the athletes that come to Wisconsin are educated properly.
"And then we do our best to educate them on how to seize and how to capture opportunity, how to manage their own brand, their own likeness, so that they can take advantage of these healthy, productive opportunities."
University of Nebraska football coach Scott Frost
"For a lot of years, the school made a lot of money selling No. 7 jerseys and Eric Crouch only got a scholarship to the University of Nebraska. Part of that I like because there's a beauty and a purity to college athletics and amateur athletics, but somebody like Eric probably gets exploited a little bit."
"... I think at Nebraska we'll be able to capitalize on it as well or better than anybody in the country because we have fans like you guys, we have businesses that are going to want to use our guys to collaborate and in advertising. There are going to be a lot of opportunities for our guys."
University of Nebraska Interim Athletic Director Garrett Klassy
“We’ve been working on this — I’ve been in Nebraska for 22 months, and I’d say we’ve been working on this for 20 months. When we first heard this was a possibility, we were the first school to partner with Opendorse to really educate and assess our student athletes’ social media accounts was the first step, but we’ve been working behind the scenes for a long time.
“I’m excited for it to launch at midnight and I just think Nebraska is so uniquely positioned and our athletes are uniquely positioned to take advantage of monetizing their name, image and likeness being the premier brand in the state. I think this is really going to be an advantage for Nebraska moving forward.”
Former University of Nebraska Athletic Director Bill Moos
"Nebraska is committed to being a leader and trendsetter in the Name, Image and Likeness arena.
"We were the first athletic department to partner with Opendorse more than a year ago, and we are proud that our educational program and resources have included every student-athlete in all 24 of our sports. Our focus now is on an enhanced program that will position all Husker student-athletes for success in NIL."
University of Iowa Athletic Director Gary Barta
"As we navigate this new era of college athletics and Name, Image, Likeness, we are fully committed to supporting our student-athletes throughout the process. Our FLIGHT program equips them with the tools and knowledge to build their personal brands, allowing them to be at the forefront of NIL opportunities."
University of Illinois Athletic Director Josh Whitman
"I absolutely think this is a recruiting tool for us. It puts us at the forefront of the national landscape on this landmark issue, this incredible change, and I do think the evolution of the collegiate model will continue. I think there’s a commitment … to make sure the state of Illinois, the state of Illinois’ universities, and certainly here at the University of Illinois, remain at the forefront of those changes.
"We are continuing to watch the landscape, understand the way that it’s changing literally under our feet, almost by the day, and we will continue to innovate in this space to be sure that we stay one step ahead where we should be and where I think our student athletes want us to be."
University of Illinois men's basketball coach Brad Underwood
"I think one of the great things about this is hometowns. I think there's some interest always from hometown favorites, or in (sophomore point guard Andre Curbelo's) case, Puerto Rico. Being able to do things in Spanish will be something that is another opportunity for these guys to use their image and likeness."
Follow James Boyd on Twitter: @RomeovilleKid
