Student athletes NIL program for FGCU

Name, image and likeness (NIL) gets student athletes paid for anything under their name.

There is a new program for student-athletes at Florida Gulf Coast University to get money for their NIL. In turn, recruiting is more than offering student athletes an education and a chance to play.

“To get to that level playing field, you got to have name, image and likeness. Other conference foes in the A SUN have announced NILs collectives. And now FGCU joins that group,” said Tim Cartwright, chairman for SWFL Flight Crew.

Cartwright runs FGCU’s first-ever NIL collective.

His third-party organization is there to help players earn endorsement money or get paid for making appearances or even endorsements.

Most Power Five schools have established NIL collectives, while FGCU is just getting its off the ground.

“Players these days that are on campus doing recruiting are asking things like, ‘What the facilities look like, can I have playing time?’ But now, since 2021, they’re also asking, ‘Do you have an NIL component to my overall scholarship?'” said Cartwright.

That component is appealing to recruits, just ask basketball coach Pat Chambers.

“I think that’s important. That recruits recognize that hey we are in the game now, and we do want to help you, and we want to give you the exposure that you want for your brand for your NIL. And that should at least get us in conversations with some of the prospective student athletes that we really weren’t involved in this last recruiting session,” said Chambers.

While athletes can get paid through those opportunities, NIL payments can’t be used to attract recruits.

The collective is focused on securing those opportunities with businesses and charities in Southwest Florida. Cartwright believes the collective will create win-win opportunities for student-athletes and local businesses.