The Next Big Recruiting Tool

In today’s world, slapping a logo on an athlete and calling it a partnership doesn’t cut it. The most impactful collaborations happen when the alignment is real—when the story makes sense, the connection feels organic, and both sides bring something meaningful to the table.

So how do you get it right? Here are three non-negotiables for finding the perfect brand fit for an athlete:

1. Authenticity or Nothing

If it’s not real, it won’t work. Period. The best partnerships happen when an athlete already aligns with a brand—when it’s something they actually use, wear, or believe in. Fans can smell a forced deal from a mile away, and once credibility is gone, it’s nearly impossible to get back.

Patrick Mahomes x Oakley
Mahomes didn’t just sign with Oakley; he was already wearing their sunglasses. The partnership wasn’t manufactured—it was a natural extension of who he is. Oakley leaned into that authenticity, and the result? A campaign that actually resonated.

2. Shared Values Create Stronger Stories

A logo on a jersey is forgettable. A brand that amplifies an athlete’s mission? That’s lasting impact. The strongest partnerships don’t just push a product—they align on a bigger purpose, creating stories that people care about.

Serena Williams x Nike
This wasn’t just about apparel. Nike stood with Serena when it mattered—championing her fight for gender equality in sports. It wasn’t a PR move. It was a shared belief. And because it was real, people believed in it too.

3. Audience Fit is Everything

Even if an athlete loves a brand, the partnership won’t land if their audiences don’t overlap. The best deals happen when both sides already speak to the same people, making the connection feel effortless.

Simone Biles x K18
Simone teaming up with K18 wasn’t just some random haircare deal. It made sense because both were already talking to the same kind of people. K18’s audience? People who care about performance-driven beauty, not just trends. Simone’s audience? Athletes, young women, and anyone who sees self-care as part of showing up at their best. The overlap was already there, which is why this deal didn’t feel like a “sell”—it just worked.

The Bottom Line

Athlete-brand partnerships shouldn’t feel transactional. They should feel inevitable. When authenticity, shared values, and audience alignment come together, the results speak for themselves. Because when it’s real, people believe in it. And when people believe in it, it works.

Let’s build partnerships that actually make sense.

Here’s what they’re going to get wrong

Let's talk about the new trend in college sports - the school-backed NIL agency.

Did you know I was the first personal brand coach in the NCAA? That’s usually my first pickup line on a date.

Kidding…But since the beginning, I have been a believer that athletic programs will win over players by prioritizing their brands (while also making sure they get paid).

Now that players will be receiving rev share from universities, we’re back to prioritizing their brands as a recruiting strategy.

Just like this week, Georgia announced they will Keep NIL Collective, Strengthen ‘Above-the-Cap’ Strategy

One of my favorite NIL directors, Ben Chase (Florida), put up a post on X saying, “Moving forward, 'moving the needle' will be fans, alumni, and businesses assisting in marketing opportunities to create 'above the cap' NIL funds.”

Ole Miss announced, “The Grove will transition from a booster-funded collective to a school-financed third-party agency.”

Who are all prioritizing third-party NIL? There’s a lot going on with NIL, so let me make this easy to understand.

• Schools will now have a salary cap.

• If they want to go beyond that salary cap, they need to raise money outside of the school.

• Their collectives will still exist and serve as an agency to bring in deals for athletes (third-party NIL).

• This allows universities (collectives) to compensate athletes outside of what they’re getting from the schools.

Athletes also want to work with cool brands and increase their marketability. So one of the best ways to differentiate in the recruiting process is to bring in (and execute on) athlete NIL deals directly.

This should mean more power and opportunities for athletes, which we obviously love. But for those operating in the third-party NIL space, they have some new issues coming their way.

Here are the 3 things the NIL agencies will probably get wrong and how to get ahead of it.

Corporate Partnerships ≠ Athlete Brand Deals

Many universities have multimedia rights partners (MMRs) like Playfly, Learfield, and JMI, who own and manage all things related to corporate sponsors. And while MMRs know how to get a bank’s logo on your team’s scoreboard, building out and pitching an athlete brand deal is an entirely different beast.

You’ll likely attract corporate sponsors to invest in athletes—which is great—but how will you get them products they actually think are cool? A free pair of PSD underwear might mean more to them than a $10k brand deal. Locking in a GLD product deal could make them think twice about entering the transfer portal.

Solution: Figure out what brands your athletes like and build relationships. Almost any brand would love to have a connection to a university's NIL agency—especially if it means not having to deal with agents or reps. This is a huge value-add. Sure, you may have to run it by an athlete’s rep, but having that relationship will make the brand manager’s life 100x easier. Less middlemen, fewer headaches.

Set up a Google alert for “Athlete Brand Deal” to reverse-engineer the process and see which brands have already done athlete deals.

Think like a creative agency. Do you have an athlete who loves to cook? Pitch a content series with food brands. Have finance majors on the team? Talk to fintech brands. Not every athlete cares about money. Some just want to build their brand. Figure out what actually excites them, and that’s where the best deals will happen.

Think cool, unique and different. Don’t just rely on corporate partnerships. Remember that for some athletes, clout can be more valuable than money.

The end of “show up and smile” deals

Here’s how it normally goes: Athlete shows up + posts a “thanks for hosting us” caption = deal done.

When the local bank wants to pay $250k for 3 athletes to show up and take photos, you’re going to say yes. But when the bank inevitably gets zero ROI and the athletes get roasted in their comment section…You’re going to wish you spent a little more time on nailing the content.

From negotiations to creative to PR, we’ve seen what can happen when corporations try their hand at athlete deals (we see you, Dairy Alliance). The pressure’s on to get these right.

 Solution: Make sure you’ve got a small team (creative director, athlete/brand manager) who can lead the way and create fair deals for both sides. Find references of content that has performed well and that the athlete would be excited to do. Can the athlete speak on camera? No? Then do a voice-over. Are they great on camera but can’t read a script? Give them bullet points.

Creative direction matters and ideas need to win attention. And at the very last, the post needs to LOOK like it belongs on the Athletes page. Brands are getting more savvy. They don’t just want a face next to their logo - they want creativity. They want to be cool. And yeah they want to actually see a return on their investment.

Find TikTok superstars on campus and give them an internship to help with the athletes' content.

Pushback on a brand that says they want something simple. Don’t just accept the caption they give you. Remember, you’re now an agency. You have to look out for their investment and the athlete.

Managing athlete deals at scale

Choosing athletes for one of your university sponsors is one thing. Managing the entire deal process is another. NIL agencies will now be responsible for all those fun little details like:

• Exclusivity windows

• Posting dates

• Approval processes

• Compliance

• Payment terms

• Taxes

• Handling the follow-up when they don't post on time, use the wrong caption, don’t disclose it's an #ad, use a school logo when they shouldn’t, forget to collaborate with the brand, and more.

Now imagine all of that for 10-50 of your university athletes. Most agencies are going to grossly underestimate how much work this takes, leading to pushed timelines and less-than-thrilled brand partners.

Solution: Have a project management system that does the work for you. Spreadsheets can work, as long as you can organize all of the important times, dates, and details. You could even build a custom database on a platform like Notion.

Try Jaba. We’ve had our own project management issues with our agency, trying to manage X athletes and not go absolutely insane. That’s why we’ve spent the past 2 years building Jaba—an app designed to simplify athlete brand partnerships and keep everything behind the scenes running smoothly. If you’re interested in a demo, let's connect.

Final Thoughts:

Having the foresight to start an agency already puts a school’s athletic program ahead of others. It’s a great idea and all of the ones I’ve seen launch are absolutely going to do a great job. Hopefully, sharing our perspective is helpful for anyone thinking of starting their own so they can hit the ground running. Working in NIL is one of the coolest jobs you can have. Running an NIL agency is going to be even cooler.