There are so many poorly drawn conclusions, bad takes, tedious lamentations, and misinformed accusations on this thread that it's hard to fucking keep up with anything right now. And that doesn't even include the one guy showing up to tell us all that he's about make $50million in a SPAC. Bizarre.
Just fucking stop for a minute. Christ. All of the low energy, low information whining of "won't somebody please do something!!!" as it pertains to NIL, from people not actually doing something, isn't helpful.
A group of us have been working on a better understanding of NIL and Texas. What is it? What can and can't be done? How does the process work? What's the optimal solution? What can be done now? Etc. We've pulled together resources if someone is serious about learning more and not going to post or pass shit randomly on. This goes beyond the semi-anonymity of a bulletin board.
We've come far enough along that I can at least provide some informed thoughts and some direction. @immamac is going to provide a resource center or marketplace to help out. Here's the net-net ahead of that.
1) There's interest in building something long term that could bring players and money together every year into perpetuity. We've built up damned near a completed business plan on it and it's circulating beyond this board. The big problem is, someone would need to run it. They'd need to have a history of operating a company, experience, preferably, with UT and the AD, and a start-up background/connections. They'd also need to be an extrovert because of the nature of the beast on this one. I can't do it. I'm way out over my skis right now taking on other stuff and this is tipping me into a tumble if I go any further. Got a blueprint for someone who could do it, and likely access to capital, to boot. DM me if you know someone that might be a fit. Otherwise, this sits on the shelf until potentially forever, which is fine, I guess.
2) In the meantime, other shit can be done, leveraging the creative work and research that's already been done and some of it is just waiting there to be taken. Here's the thinking:
A) Agencies are entering the fray. Sports agencies and agents, marketing and ad agencies, you name it. They're more or less necessary. Sports agencies are building marketing arms, and they'll take care of the big names, but less than a sure thing is likely left in the cold. Hudson Card has an agent already. Montana Fouts has an agent. The big names aren't the worry. Anyway, we have access to an agency that anyone here could use. If you want to get money to players in any form, we could do that right now. We have boilerplate influencer/sponsor contracts, teams with digital, event & PR, social media, branding, etc., expertise. Feel free DM me.
B) The process is as follows: company/entity reaches out to player directly, makes an offer and tenders a contract. Players signs contract. Contract goes through compliance. If approved, player lives up to deal in the contract and the player gets paid. If the nonsense with compliance gets fixed, this is all fine. The premise of the program trying to claim that burnt orange is in scope of what's off-limits is utter fucking bullshit and anyone claiming that up to Plonsky and Crystal Conte should be fucking fired if they attempt to continue to parrot that. Fucking wrong.
C) Autographs don't have to go through compliance. Anyone can organically provide something for a player to sign and the player can then get paid. This is protected in the state legislation. So, if you take a napkin, or a jersey, or a woman in a tank top up to a player and pay him $1 or $1million to sign the napkin, jersey, or woman's cleavage, you can do it.
D) There are over 50 use cases we've already worked through. We want to start putting them to use and show the credibility of them in action. We have access to players on every team within the Texas realm. We can reach whoever we need. If folks want to do something, let's discuss. Feel free to DM me.
E) Opendorse is trash and will take 15% of any deal conducted through it. The UT leadership in athletics sending players there to fend for themselves is fucking negligent and someone should be fired for their insouciance. There is nothing there for us or players to leverage. Ignore it as a resource or hope.
F) A major recruitment right now has some ability to be influenced with NIL at Texas if something gets done. Specifically to the point about it not being an issue for Hudson Card or Bijan Robinson, both of whom will make well into the 6 figures this fall (this is confirmed), it's about other positions. In this case, if DBs at Texas are making bank, that puts the Texas NIL argument for this signing period up against anyone for at least one key target Texas is in danger of losing.
Other entities are going to do what they can as well. Surly is working on something and mac or @RGBIII can feel free to elaborate. But yeah, pass the word, pass around the hat, whatever, shit can get done asap if people want to put their money where their mouths/keyboards have been up to now. DM me, DM @SydneyCarton, happy to help or point in directions.
Sydney can post more on types of NIL use cases that anyone here can explore and we should. I'm tired of typing.