Penn State Sports Magazine
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3 8 M A Y 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A new NIL collective has been launched for Penn State athletes. Success With Honor, a nonprofit organization backed by prominent PSU alums and power players, aims to "help more than 850 student-athletes at Penn State University navigate and maximize their Name, Image and Likeness," accord- ing to a news release. NIL deals have been reshaping the world of college athletics since last July, when the NCAA changed its bylaws and a number of states, including Pennsylvania, began passing legislation to allow athletes to profit from their popularity. The Success With Honor collective has partnered with Student Athlete Empow- erment to run its day-to-day operations. SAE is led by Jason Belzer, who is the CEO and co-founder of Student Athlete NIL. The organization will hold an NIL summit in June at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. "The collective is unique because the focus is to create opportunities for all stu- dent-athletes at Penn State," Belzer told BWI. What is an NIL collective? Eric Prisbell, national college sports business writer for On3, recently described them as business endeavors that operate independently of the universities they support but are able to help student-athletes maximize their earnings. "Schools can't create them, but pas- sionate, prominent and wealthy donors sure can," Prisbell wrote. "A collective is an NIL-related company that can help facili- tate deals for athletes and also can create its own deals for athletes through funds pooled from alumni and fans. Roughly two dozen have been launched nationwide. By the time you're finished reading this story, though, that number may have grown. They are popping up that quickly." Prisbell wasn't exaggerating. As of late March, at least 30 collectives were con- nected with athletes at schools across the country. In addition to the Success With Honor initiative, there are two other collectives that are trying to help Penn State student- athletes arrange NIL deals. Happy Valley Talent is one, and it already lists five-star quarterback signee Drew Allar on its ros - ter, along with numerous other football players and Penn State athletes. Nittany Commonwealth is the other, although its website is still in the "coming soon" phase. It's very likely that other enterprises will join those three in the months and years ahead. Schools cannot facilitate NIL deals for players due to state law, so third- party entities are looking to step in and help businesses, donors and fans connect with athletes. The Success With Honor collective has EARNING POWER EARNING POWER A new business initiative brings together some of Penn State's most recognizable names to help the Nittany Lions compete in the NIL economy ESPN college football analyst Todd Blackledge is among the prominent Penn State graduates who are lending their expertise to the Success With Honor NIL collective. PHOTO BY CHRISTIAN BRANDAN/ESPN IMAGES G R E G P I C K E L | G P I C 9 2 @ G M A I L . C O M