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A new era for NIL Wire
Introducing our new lead writer, Deyscha Smith.
Deyscha Smith
August 18, 2025
It’s a new era for NIL Wire.
Ahead of the 2025-26 season, NIL Wire will have an entirely new vibe, voice and vision for covering college athletics through the lens of money and NIL.
And now we have a new lead writer.
Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Deyscha Smith. I’ve covered sports my entire career and have written for many outlets, including Bleacher Report, the Boston Globe and, for the past five years, SLAM. As an editor at SLAM, I produced magazine covers and interviewed the biggest names across the NBA, WNBA and college basketball.
On the set of cover shoots, I got a glimpse into their world, seeing their jam-packed schedules, meeting agents/athletic staffers/coaches/trainers/family members/partners and learning about the brand deals and the sneaker companies they’re signed to. I’ve also worked with brands directly to make campaigns come to life through storytelling, including this campaign with Kim Kardashian’s SKIMS to announce its newest NIL campaign on the cover of SLAM, which featured Caleb Love, Donovan Clingan, Hunter Dickinson, Jared McCain, Robert Dillingham and Paxson Wojcik.
The story, which dropped ahead of March Madness, wasn’t just about hoops. It dove into how these athletes were adjusting to NIL in real-time, building their brands and balancing sports with new business ventures. This season, college athletes will have to adjust to a new reality after the House settlement allowed schools to pay them directly for the first time ever.
The ever-changing landscape of college sports has always fascinated me. In fact, the first time I ever heard about athletes getting compensated for their likeness was years ago, long before the law was passed. While I was playing Division III varsity lacrosse at Mount Holyoke College, I also served as my team rep on the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. As a part of SAAC, I had the chance to vote and share thoughts on early proposals, rules and initiatives the NCAA was considering — and one of them was, in fact, the concept of NIL.
None of us could have imagined what would transpire in the years to come.
And now here we are, and here I am with the opportunity to cover this for Extra Points and reimagine how NIL Wire is going to lead the way in that coverage. We’ll still be providing the same in-depth analysis and reporting on all things college sports and NIL, but with a new voice, vision and approach to storytelling. I’m interested not just in what deals are being made, but who the dealmakers are, too. I want to know — and help you, reader, better understand — the inner-workings from both the business and player perspective. Having made a career out of telling players’ stories, I’ll be bringing that same energy with in-depth conversations, exclusive interviews and, just maybe, letting athletes pick up the pen and share their thoughts with you directly.
I want to hear from you, too. Whether it’s questions, ideas or coverage you want to see more of, you have just as much of a say in what’s delivered to your inbox as I do writing in and curating it.
We have a lot in store for you in the coming days, so stay tuned. Until then, here are a few stories and news items that you should have on your radar to start your week.
NIL BLITZ
♦️ South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers just revealed that he’s renewed his NIL partnership with Dick Dyer & Associates (and will now drive a 2025 Mercedes-Benz G63).
♦️ Middle Tennessee State added $668k to its NIL budget. Here’s how.
♦️ Oregon’s Dan Lanning spoke with CBS College Football and shared a few of his thoughts on NIL and treating athletes as employees.
♦️ Utah AD Mark Harlan candidly spoke at a town hall meeting about revenue sharing and NIL.
♦️ Deion Sanders just inked a new deal with Taco Bell to launch the “Buffs Box.” The meal deal ($7) will be available in select locations around Colorado and comes with a collectible player cup that showcases one of Colorado’s four rising stars: offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, quarterback Julian Lewis and wide receivers Quentin Gibson and Dre’lon Miller. Lewis recently unveiled his collectible cup.