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- Rutgers is flexing its NIL muscles. Will it work?
Rutgers is flexing its NIL muscles. Will it work?
The new Scarlet Knights' athletic director is bringing her school into the modern Big Ten NIL landscape. Plus details on Patrick Mahomes and Texas Tech, a Whataburger deal and more.
Kyle Rowland
November 11, 2025
Hey there,
In today’s newsletter, we’re taking a look at how Keli Zinn has transformed Rutgers’ NIL operation. Will it yield victories on the field? We also provide an update on Patrick Mahomes’s contributions to his alma mater, Texas Tech. Keep reading for that and more of the latest news from around the NIL world.
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— Kyle
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KICKOFF
Mahomes and Texas Tech are a winning combination
It’s a great time to be Texas Tech.
Not only is billionaire super-booster Cody Campbell turning the Red Raiders’ roster into one worthy of the playoffs, former quarterback Patrick Mahomes is also giving the program cachet.
Adidas and Mahomes recently announced the second Team Mahomes NIL cohort of Texas Tech athletes, supporting development on and off the field and reinforcing Mahomes’s commitment to the Red Raiders. The deal includes NiJaree Canady (softball), Sam Courtwright (women’s soccer), Behren Morton (football), Christian Anderson (men’s basketball) and Malachi Snow (men’s track and field).
During Saturday’s win over previously undefeated BYU, Texas Tech wore Mahomes-designed Gladiator uniforms.
“Patrick Mahomes’ impact on Texas Tech has been immeasurable,” Texas Tech athletic director Kirby Hocutt wrote in a release announcing the cohort. “His ongoing investment in our athletes, notably through Team Mahomes, showcases his and adidas’ belief in and commitment to the future of Texas Tech athletics.”
Athletes have always given back to their alma maters. But in the NIL era, they are uniquely positioned to make a tangible difference through money, sponsorships, merchandise, influence and more. It’s elevated at a place like Texas Tech, which can help close the considerable real and perceived gap it has with the sport’s biggest brands.
The fight to make revenue sharing records public
Our friend Matt Brown at Extra Points wrote a piece Monday about the fight to obtain revenue sharing records. Schools have hidden behind dubious excuses — FERPA and “competitive harm” to keep any specifics regarding payments private.
Matt and Sportico’s Daniel Libit are two reporters who have publicly advocated for rev share numbers to be accessible through open records requests. Both have outlined the reasons it makes sense, starting with the benefit to athletes of knowing where they stand relative to their peers at other schools.
Of course, that’s precisely what schools would like to prevent, because it will force difficult conversations with athletes. The FERPA and “competitive harm” excuses could not be more disingenuous.
A South Carolina man named Frank Heindel has been fighting the good fight, suing the University of South Carolina for access to revenue sharing numbers. He’s slowly winning cases that could establish a precedent.
More news and links:
UConn men’s basketball coach Dan Hurley, who isn’t known for holding back, said he will bench the team’s top NIL earners if they don’t play well.
Hollister signed several high-profile college football players to NIL deals.
Kentucky quarterback Zach Calzada apologized for a social media post in which he flashed $100 bills at an angry fan.
Arkansas Little Rock athletic director Frank Cuervo discussed NIL.
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VIDEO OF THE WEEK
More like video of the year!
Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper’s game-winning catch against Penn State was the stuff of legend. It kept an undefeated season alive, capped off a championship drive and delivered one of the most memorable Gus Johnson calls in a career filled with them.
DOWN TO BUSINESS
Rutgers is flexing its NIL muscles. Will it work?
When Keli Zinn walked into her office at Rutgers in July, she didn’t need a consultant or an audit to spot the problem. The cracks were obvious. Rutgers was falling behind in the one area no athletic department can afford to ignore in 2025: name, image and likeness.
That’s like hosting a Super Bowl party with a 36-inch standard-definition TV. So Zinn got to work, again and again and again. In less than four months, the program’s new athletic director has pulled Rutgers out of the NIL stone age and into the modern Big Ten, where Indiana has recently muscled into the upper echelon alongside Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State and Oregon.
“A simple Google search would have shown you the staff directory, and we didn’t have an NIL staff,” Zinn told NIL Wire. “That was the first indicator that whatever we were doing, we likely didn’t have much substance internally.”
Last month, Rutgers announced two major hires: Chris Chung as senior associate AD for revenue and contract management and PJ Mullen as executive senior associate AD for marketing, fan experience and brand strategy. The additions are designed to bolster Rutgers’ NIL and revenue-sharing efforts, providing structure and expertise the school had long been missing.
A few weeks before that, Zinn unveiled R NIL, Rutgers’ in-house NIL arm that allows businesses to go directly through the athletic department to sign deals with athletes. Rutgers’ Athletic Excellence Fund also enables individuals to donate money to support revenue sharing.
In the span of 10 days, Zinn accomplished more to position Rutgers in the NIL era than her predecessor, Pat Hobbs, managed in the previous four years combined. She calls it a “turning point” for the school, which now has a “robust” NIL infrastructure that gives it “everything that we need” in order to compete at the highest level. (An assist goes to first-year Rutgers president William Tate.)
“While there’s not always a 100 percent direct correlation from NIL and or resources to success, you certainly mitigate and/or eliminate your obstruction to getting there, the more resources you have,” Zinn said.
It’s an all-in attitude that’s resonated inside the department, as football coach Greg Schiano, men’s basketball coach Steve Pikiell and women’s basketball coach Coquese Washington all praised the university’s renewed commitment to spending and innovation.
“R NIL will be an unbelievable resource and provides an avenue for our fans to come together to support our student-athletes,” Pikiell, who recently hired a general manager, said. “I’m proud of the way our administration is finding ways to help us compete in the name, image and likeness space.”
Football is the true measure of success. And Rutgers has not fared well since joining the Big Ten in 2014. The Scarlet Knights’ best conference record is 4-5. They’ve won a single conference game twice and finished winless three times. The return of Schiano has stabilized the program; Rutgers went to bowl games the past two seasons and needs only one more win in 2025 to become bowl-eligible.
In October, Schiano went viral after bluntly assessing the program’s NIL past.
“We have not tried it, not at a Division I level,” he said. “Forget the Big Ten level. We have not done it at the Division I level. Let’s be clear: The only people that have done it is the guy you are standing here looking at, and you can't do it that way at this level.”
The comments were motivating, according to Zinn, who admitted to being guarded about the program’s shortcomings. However, Schiano’s candor underscores what she (and everyone else) already knew. Owning it and finding a solution is the best path forward.
“It’s not going to be an issue in the future,” Zinn said. “That’s the biggest part of the message.”
Zinn brings a unique blend of old-school and new-school athletic administration. Her background includes compliance — the traditional path to an AD’s chair — and revenue generation and NIL strategy — the current track to become an AD. Before Rutgers, she was at LSU, overseeing the football program, revenue growth and capital projects.
Now those skills are fueling Rutgers’ momentum. Zinn says there are plans to create more NIL-related positions and invest heavily in digital content. And she remains optimistic about the school’s and supporters’ financial commitments.
Zinn is a first-time AD, but it’s clear she knows what it takes to win in the current landscape. Indiana has changed what’s possible for any program. Rutgers is ready to follow the blueprint.
“We can’t sit in the bottom third of the league and then expect to compete in the top third of the league,” Zinn said. “So how then do you get them there, specifically from a resource point? And then you make sure that the added investment shows up in the recruiting cycle. If we’re putting in more resources for the upcoming transfer cycles and the upcoming signing classes, you can go out and look at your history and see that you’re attracting a better level of talent.
“Therein lies the strategy that’s happening across the country in the world of NIL for a number of years. Now, with revenue sharing, it puts a level playing field on your competitors.”
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ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT
Whatadeal
This is an SEC football NIL deal that was destined to be signed. Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton managed to land Whataburger AND Dr. Pepper. Let’s hope he treats his offensive line to one, two or maybe six meals.
