D3 Athletes Monetizing NIL
Today we’re covering the D3 athletes who are absolutely crushing it with NIL.
This post is all about the NCAA Division 3 athletes who are successfully monetizing NIL (D3 NIL) - with deals both big and small. Here are the student-athletes we spoke with:
Connor Printz - Claremont Mudd Scripps Men’s Basketball
Jack Betts - Amherst College Football aka “The King of D3 NIL”
Laney Higgins - Oglethorpe College Volleyball
Kylie Oblak - Hamilton College Track & Field
Graycee Mosley - ETBU Volleyball
Tyner Simpson - Piedmont University Baseball
Connor Printz - Claremont Mudd Scripps Men’s Basketball
Number of NIL Deals: ~90
Partnership Highlights: Reebok, Snapchat, CVS, Powerade & Ralph Lauren
Instagram: iamconnorprintz
Advice for a D3 athlete just starting out with NIL?
My number one tip is to start creating content. Brands love athlete-creators, and you have a much higher chance to work with brands if you know how to create content. Post anything about your sport. People want to see what it is like to be a college athlete! Next, start reaching out to as many brands as possible and pitch yourself to them. Tell them why you stand out amongst everybody else reaching out. Do this on Instagram, LinkedIn, and E-mail. I also highly recommend to get on NIL marketplaces such as Opendorse, Mogl, Postgame, just to name a few.
Favorite NIL deal you signed in 2023?
My favorite deal was HeyDude because I was able to give some shoes to my Dad, someone who has supported me and done so much for me throughout my career. I also love doing deals with Li-Ning and Way of Wade because I’m able to get free basketball shoes all the time which is awesome.
Lessons or personal growth from your NIL/brand work?
I’ve learned so many different things that I don’t learn in college classes such as taxes, contract negotiations, networking, and more. I’ve also truly learned that you can accomplish anything if you work hard. I didn’t have any followers, I wasn’t the star on my team. I committed myself to content and getting deals and worked extremely hard at it. In under 2 years I’ve gained almost 1 million followers across all my platforms and almost 90 NIL deals. That hard work is starting to pay off!
One brand you’d love to work with & why?
I think the main goal would be Nike, which will definitely be difficult. I would also love to do a deal with Epic Games and Fortnite. Alo Yoga and Crocs also come to mind.
Closing thoughts 💭
Don’t be scared to create content! There are too many people who are worried about what other people think or if people at their school would look at them differently. Who cares!! Creating content and doing stuff in NIL has changed my life and it can change yours too!!
Jack Betts - Amherst College Football
Number of NIL Deals: ~40
Estimated NIL Income: >$10,000
Instagram: jbetts21
Accolades: 2023 NIL Summit Hustle Award Winner
Advice for a D3 athlete just starting out with NIL?
My #1 piece of advice for anybody interested in getting started on their NIL journey is that the most difficult step is the first one. If you wait for it to come to you, odds are you’ll miss out because of the lack of exposure that we as D3 athletes receive. But by being proactive and actively working towards achieving what you want you become one step closer to your goals. Bottom line: take the leap. What’s the worst that could happen?
Favorite NIL deal you signed in 2023?
I’d say PBFit was 100% my favorite deal from 2023. Becoming one of only a few D3 folks to sign on with them was a huge honor. I’ve used their products since high school and I have nothing but positive things to say about them!
Lessons or personal growth from your NIL/brand work?
I think what I learned the most from my efforts this year is how the work I’m doing right now directly correlates to the type of career I want to pursue now that I’ve concluded my time as a student-athlete. I discovered a passion for sports marketing and working with athletes, and I’m currently searching for employment opportunities that overlap with these newly found areas of interest.
One brand you’d love to work with & why?
During my career I would’ve loved to become an Adidas athlete. I’ve been loyal to Adidas cleats since middle school and they’re the only brand I trust when it comes to what cleats I rock on the football field. I pitched myself to them in the Summer at the NIL Summit but they never got back to me
Closing thoughts 💭
The Make Your Own Legacy Academy (my NIL Education Academy) will be expanding soon so be sure to keep an eye out on my socials for more information regarding that. Always open to speak to athletes as well so if anybody has any questions feel free to send them my way!
Making NIL Work for D3 Athletes (Podcast) 🎧
We sat down with Jack Betts, aka the “King of D3 NIL”, to discuss his football recruiting process, recruiting strategies that helped him get noticed by college coaches, why he picked Amherst, developing a culture of equals in the locker room, NIL strategies for NCAA D3 athletes & much more.
Laney Higgins - Oglethorpe College Volleyball
Number of NIL Deals: 12
Instagram: laney.higgins
Fun Fact: Laney has donated >$5,000 in NIL proceeds to charities such as the Women’s Sports Foundation, Extra Yard for Teachers and USF Health.
Advice for a D3 athlete just starting out with NIL?
My biggest advice is to get started and to not worry about what others may think. There’s a misperception out there that you have to be a Power 5 Quarterback or a Division I All-American in your sport in order to have a right to do NIL and that’s totally not the case. Getting involved with NIL can help give student-athletes of all levels a head start in their post playing career, so the quicker you get started, the further you will go. The advantage that Division III student-athletes have is that we have more life balance and time to pour into our partnerships, which can create a greater return on investment for the brands we are working with.
Favorite NIL deal you signed in 2023?
While I have loved every deal that I’ve done and they all have their own story, I think I’m most proud of my partnership with Lululemon. They’re the presenting partner of the second season of my Instagram live series called “W4LKING AND T4LKING”. I started the series while being the only small school student-athlete in Meta’s NIL Empower 2.0. This partnership with Lululemon is really special to me for a variety of reasons. Not only because I’m the first female student-athlete that they’ve done an ongoing national NIL campaign with, but more importantly, I’m proud of how it helps support and promote female student-athletes from around the country. To have a major global brand like Lululemon decide to work with a Division III female student-athlete on a NIL partnership when they could literally partner with any big name player in the country shows how unique and dynamic they are as a brand. I’m so excited to be working with them!
Lessons or personal growth from your NIL/brand work?
NIL has been life changing for me. It has taught me a lot about myself and my identity. NIL has also helped instill confidence, perseverance, accountability and so much more in me. Being a small school student-athlete that doesn’t have an agent has also given me the opportunity to learn about networking, outreach, negotiation and so much more. If I’m not working on the deals, the deals don’t get done, so I personally have learned just about every aspect of business and professionalism through the opportunities that NIL has afforded me.
One brand you’d love to work with & why?
I think my immediate biggest goal is to do such a good job with my Lululemon partnership that they want to renew and extend the partnership. While I’m open to other opportunities, I’m very focused on doing a good job with the partners I’m already working with. If I was forced to pick a new one, I’m a big fan of ESPNW and all that they do to support women’s sports, which is also my passion. It would be really fun to collaborate with them.
Want More D3 NIL Resources?
Check out the original post on our Substack newsletter: D3 Athletes Monetizing NIL for the full list of D3 Athletes we interviewed plus the D3 NIL Trailblazers who were the first to cash in.
We also wrote a piece on the status of D3 NIL Collectives and how they’re niching down instead of trying to support an entire D3 Athletics department.