Name, image and likeness has overtaken college athletics over the last year as schools scramble through the new era of amateur sports. Maryland basketball’s NIL collective launched earlier this summer with Turtle NIL now open to public donations while football’s NIL collective, set to be named The Best is Ahead Foundation, is expected to launch by the end of August. In an interview with ESPN, athletic director Damon Evans revealed he’s in the process of hiring a director of NIL as the University of Maryland looks to bolster its efforts.
“We at the University of Maryland have to be doing everything we can because, like everything else, it’s a part of the recruiting world,” Evans said in the interview. “Ask Blockbuster if they wish they would’ve jumped in on streaming back in the day?”
The position within the athletic department was created back on August 5 and is primarily responsible for growing NIL opportunities for Maryland student-athletes through donor-led participation. The position also entails working with external parties such as Opendorse, Brandr and Playfly among others. Roughly 18 months after the school announced its partnership with Opendorse, Maryland finished as the top school in the Big Ten and fifth in the nation in total media downloads on Opendorse’s platform.
Maryland continues to be a leader in NIL! During the first year of NIL, the Terps were #1 in the @bigten and #5 in the nation in total media downloads via @opendorse and our MOMENTUM Program. #OneMaryland pic.twitter.com/GDgss04Ghe
— Damon Evans (@Evans_TerpsAD) August 15, 2022
Schools across the country are navigating through the new wave of college athletics as Maryland, meanwhile, is now tasked with balancing donations between the booster-driven NIL collectives and the Terrapin Club, the university’s group responsible for funding scholarships for its student-athletes. Evans added it’s important to find a balance to avoid “donor fatigue” as Maryland will look for fans to chip in to bolster its support.
While Evans was outspoken about the desire for a uniform set of rules for schools to abide by when it comes to NIL and avoiding pay-for-play, he added there is more left to resolve in the emerging industry that requires more clarity and guidance. With UCLA and USC joining the Big Ten beginning 2024, Evans wasn’t alone in posing the question whether the added revenue could some day be tied to providing NIL opportunities to its student-athletes.
“With what we’ve seen lately, I think those are all possibilities,” Evans said. “We have to look at how we can get more benefits into the hands of student-athletes. Can we do that in a way that is not pay for play? … It’s hard to see exactly what the next step is, but there is a next step.”
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