The UNC road trip no one expected ... to Saudi Arabia

Happy Saturday!

It was quite the end of the week for North Carolina. Sheesh! Anyway, enjoy today’s rundown before your college football viewing. Next week, I’ll dive into the lawsuit filed in Ohio that’s attempting to allow high school athletes to be compensated for NIL.

— Kyle

Keep your students engaged and informed with Extra Points Classroom

If you're teaching anything about the business of college sports, you know how difficult it can be to try and build a syllabus. With the industry changing every few weeks, forget textbooks. They'll be outdated before midterms.

That's why we built Extra Points Classroom, our resource bundle to save professors time, save students money and give everybody up-to-date information they can actually use. EPC includes premium access to Extra Points, plus access to our massive contract and budget database (Extra Points Library) and our computer game (Athletic Director Simulator 4000).

It also includes supplemental curriculum materials, so you have extra reading resources and case studies on everything from realignment to NIL.

For more information on how Extra Points Classroom can serve your students, from high school to graduate school, click here.

THE BIG 3

Mike Lombardi went where?!

A week doesn’t go by without the North Carolina football program doing something outlandish. 

The latest news out of Chapel Hill might be more remarkable than the Tar Heels’ flop, general manager Mike Lombardi’s preseason boasting, rumors of Bill Belichick’s coaching demise or the hot mic footage obtained by Pablo Torre. Yikes!

Two weeks before UNC’s disastrous loss to TCU in Belichick’s debut, Lombardi traveled to Saudi Arabia to pitch Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund on an investment in the program. 

UNC vice chancellor for communications Dean Stoyer told the Athletic that the meeting came “at the invitation of the Saudis.” Stoyer said the Saudi government paid for the trip, which did not result in any financial investment from the PIF, which is worth nearly $1 trillion.  

What would have been unthinkable as recently as three years ago now seems inevitable: Saudi influence in college football. The PIF has used sports as one of the cornerstones of its Vision 2030 campaign to boost tourism; it is responsible for the funding behind LIV Golf, owns a majority stake in Newcastle United and has organized F1 races and boxing matches in Saudi Arabia. In 2023, Cristiano Ronaldo signed to play with Saudi club Al-Nassr.

Last month, the PIF was part of a group that paid $55 billion to purchase Electronic Arts, the parent company of EA Sports. 

The pushback against private equity in college sports is real. But it increasingly looks like a losing battle. The Big Ten’s deal with CalPERS might break down. And the PIF might not be interested in North Carolina. But PE money and Saudi Arabia are coming to college football. It’s only a matter of time. 

Tennessee taking conservative approach to jersey patches

The conversation around jersey patches is heating up. 

Last week, Ross Dellenger of Yahoo Sports reported that legislation allowing jersey patches could be approved soon. LSU deputy athletic director and chief revenue officer Clay Harris told Front Office Sports that the Tigers have already signed a multi-million-dollar sponsorship deal. 

In contrast, Tennessee athletic director Danny White is taking a “delicate” approach. 

“I think it just depends on the resource opportunity. It depends on the brand. Something that visible associated with something that’s sacred to us, our uniform ... it's a lot more delicate, kind of like Neyland Stadium,” White said on the Vol Network. “We didn’t rename Neyland Stadium. We preserved it with the Pilot partnership. And I think that was a really good balance of honoring our tradition while also understanding the resources we need to be as competitive as we want to be.”

White and the Vols have been a leader in expanding revenue streams, from concerts at Neyland Stadium to the Professional Bull Riders at Thompson-Boling Arena to the mixed-use Neyland Entertainment District. 

“We’re going to continue to look for opportunities to make us different that maybe our peers can’t do,” said White, who noted that Tennessee has doubled its sponsorship business since the pandemic and ranks in the “top two or three” in the country in overall revenue. 

Rich Rod: WVU needs $30 million to compete in Big 12

Coaches’ radio shows are a link to a bygone era, but they continue to yield illuminating responses from their namesakes. 

Rich Rodriguez this week launched into an explanation on what it will take to win at West Virginia. How about $30 million? 

Rodriguez said the Mountaineers need to spend $10 million over the revenue-sharing cap of $20.5 million to be competitive in the Big 12. The conference’s coaches are seeing firsthand what an expensive roster can do, as Texas Tech’s $28 million spending spree has the Red Raiders undefeated and ranked in the top 10. 

“Our administration understands that,” Rodriguez said. “Our fans, I think, for the most part, understand that. But, there are challenges to do that. We’re in a smaller state with less people, and so we’ve got to be really creative in how we add to that number to be where everybody else is at.” 

Rodriguez’s comments have been met with a tinge of gloom and defeatism, with West Virginia fans growing disenchanted about the perceived disadvantage the Mountaineers are at. It’s similar to the refrain from other fan bases about money ruining college football. But Rodriguez broke the news with tact. 

“I’m very appreciative of where we’re at,” he said. “Our people have been fantastic. Our support has been fantastic.”

NIL BLITZ

♦️ The mother of an Ohio State football commit filed a lawsuit against the Ohio High School Athletic Association to legalize NIL for Ohio high school athletes.

♦️ If you’re wondering how much Kentucky’s men’s basketball payroll is this season, the Lexington Herald-Leader has the answer: $22 million.

♦️ At SEC media day, the conference’s men’s basketball coaches sounded off on NIL.

♦️ Chase Fisher, the founder of Blenders Eyewear, committed to donating $5 million to the Campanile Foundation in support of San Diego State athletics, the athletic department’s largest-ever NIL commitment. The Chase Fisher Athletics Support Fund will go directly to San Diego State men’s basketball.

♦️ UCLA freshman Sienna Betts — the No. 2-ranked women’s basketball recruit in the country — signed an NIL endorsement deal with New Balance.

♦️ Awful Announcing broke down what the low Indiana-Oregon TV ratings mean.

Share NIL Wire

Have a friend or colleague who would enjoy NIL Wire? Share with them today!

You currently have 0 referrals.

BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

Are you in favor of private equity or private capital in college sports?

• Yes - 23%

• No - 77%