LEARFIELD Executive Vice President for NIL Growth and Development Solly Fulp sits down with Alabama Director of Athletics Greg Byrne, Memphis Senior Vice President and Director of Intercollegiate Athletics Dr. Ed Scott and LEARFIELD NIL Partnerships & Operations Coordinator and Alabama student-athlete alumna Jenna Johnson to discuss real NIL in the post-House era and how both the Tigers and Crimson Tide are embracing the concept of “transformational” versus “transactional” NIL opportunities by prioritizing academics, life skills and institutional values into the deal-making process.
Johnson provides insight into how Alabama’s Advantage Center and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing are connecting student-athletes with marketing partners that best align with their interests, talents and personalities while Byrne and Scott discuss the impact of the House settlement on budgets and how they’re educating coaches on the need for discipline and accountability. Byrne: “The House settlement gives us our best opportunity to [sustain 21 sports long-term] and hopefully continue those legitimate NIL opportunities for the young men and young women, balancing that with their academic and athletic responsibilities… I’m optimistic about what’s ahead.”
The conversation is indexed below for efficient viewing (click the time stamp to jump to a specific question/topic).