NIL and College Recruitment

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In this week’s edition of Learning the Venture, we’re going to take a fresh look at how NIL has been impacting the college recruitment process, particularly pertaining to Division I Men’s Basketball.

A major case study that we will be focusing on in this edition is the recent news of #1 2025 high school recruit AJ Dybantsa, committing to BYU who are reportedly willing to pay the Utah Prep power-forward a whopping $4.5m NIL package if he were to commit to the Cougars (www.bleacherreport.com).

Now, let’s get stuck in!

Many of you will know by now, but for those who don’t, NIL in its simplest form, it allows college student-athletes to profit off of endorsement deals pertaining to their name, image, and likeness. This arose from the historically popular debate around whether or not college student-athletes (particularly those at large DI programs) should be financially compensated for their performances, since they generate so much money for their schools.

Now by literally putting money on the table, NIL has added an entirely different perspective for athletes to consider their offers, while simultaneously giving schools a lucrative tool to attract the best of the best.

With that covered, let’s get into the case of AJ Dybantsa…