NIL Edge

Grayson Wagner, senior director of NIL and revenue share operations at Colorado State, joins Sterling Randle to discuss how the Rams help athletes build content portfolios, pursue brand partnerships and understand the difference between NIL and revenue sharing.

Grayson shares how a freshman basketball player’s content attracted a bank partnership, what Colorado State’s work with Facebook and Vuori looked like and why loc...

What makes an NIL partnership work for both the athlete andthe brand?

Diadora’s U.S. chief marketing officer, Ryan Eckel, joinsSterling Randle to share how the company selects and supports its athletes.

From Marco Langon’s initial pitch to the brand’s relationship with Simeon Birnbaum, Ryan explains why shared values, access to company resources and planning beyond college matter.

The conversation also covers how ath...

Brenden Hill, assistant athletic director of student-athlete development and NIL at San Diego State, joins Sterling Randle to discuss how the Aztecs are creating opportunities for athletes in an increasingly complex college sports landscape.

Hill explains why San Diego State treats NIL as its own sport, how storytelling has generated new business opportunities and why athletes must be patient when building their brands. He also brea...

The biggest NIL deals may dominate the headlines, but they do not reflect the experience of most college athletes.

Allison Iverson, campaign manager at Postgame, joins Sterling Randle to discuss what brands still misunderstand about NIL and how companies can build more effective athlete marketing campaigns.

Drawing on her experience working at Utah State, Boise State, the University of South Florida and Postgame, Allison explains how...

Some of the most natural NIL opportunities may already exist on campus.

Matthew Stern, Vice Chancellor for Business Services at the University of Pittsburgh, and John Longo, Vice President of Operations for Pitt Eats, powered by Chartwells Higher Education, join Sterling Randle to explain how Pitt integrated student-athletes into its campus dining program.

They discuss how athletes helped create meals and content, the departments inv...

What does it take for a growing brand to turn athlete partnerships into content that actually performs?

On this episode of NIL Edge, Sterling Randle sits down with Lauren Campbell, chief marketing officer and partner at Firefly Recovery, to discuss how the company built its NIL strategy around useful products, creative content and genuine athlete relationships.

Lauren shares why Firefly evaluates engagement and storytelling before fo...

Grant House’s name will forever be connected to one of the most consequential changes in college sports. 

The professional swimmer and former Arizona State athlete joins Sterling Randle to discuss his journey from representing fellow student-athletes on campus to becoming the named plaintiff in House v. NCAA. Grant shares how the case unfolded, the personal toll of becoming the face of the lawsuit and ...

What does it take for a national consumer brand to build successful NIL partnerships? 

On this episode of The NIL Edge, Sterling Randle sits down with Heather Leiferman, Director of Communications at Great Clips, to discuss how one of the country's largest retail brands has approached NIL since entering the space in 2021. 

Heather shares how Great Clips evolved from treating student-athletes like traditional influencer...

What does the future of college athletics look like now that the House settlement is here?

In this special AthleteCon edition of NIL Edge, we sat down Will Hall, partner at Jones Walker; Joey Blake, litigation associate at Spencer Fane and a member of the legal team involved in the House settlement; and Steve Simmons, co-founder of NILENT.

Hall shares how schools are navigating revenue sharing, athlete contracts and the growing legal...

What does it take to prepare student-athletes for success in today's NIL environment?

In this episode of NIL Edge, we sit down with Lauren Cherry, Director of NIL Strategy & Revenue Share Operations at the University of North Texas, to discuss how athletic departments can help student-athletes build the skills needed to thrive in the modern college athletics landscape.

Lauren shares how North Texas developed its Influen...

In this episode of NIL Edge, Brett Sible, Associate AD for NIL Strategy and Innovation at DePaul University, joins the show to discuss how DePaul is navigating the evolving NIL and revenue-sharing landscape from a uniquely different position within college athletics. Brett shares how DePaul’s location in Chicago, lack of football, and direct approach to revenue sharing are shaping the school’s strategy in the new era of...

A conversation with Lisa Hake, the Chief Marketing Officer of Winmark Corporation, the parent company of brands including Play It Again Sports, Plato’s Closet, Once Upon A Child, Style Encore, and Music Go Round. The discussion explores how major consumer brands think about athlete partnerships, what makes NIL opportunities stand out internally, and why authenticity and audience alignment matter more than simple follower coun...

In this episode of NIL Edge, we sit down with Justin DiTolla, Associate AD for NIL at Cal, to break down what it actually looks like to operate an NIL and revenue share model inside a Power Four athletic department. With a background in compliance and now leading Cal’s NIL efforts, Justin offers a real-world perspective on how roles, responsibilities, and priorities have rapidly evolved.

At the center of the conversation is a ...

In this episode of NIL Edge, we sit down with Josie Leinart, WeAreNIL Practice Lead & Sports Law Attorney, to break down the realities of navigating NIL in today’s rapidly shifting college athletics landscape. With experience advising athletes, schools, and brands, Josie offers a clear-eyed view into where the industry is working—and where it’s falling short.

At the center of the conversation is a simple but cr...

In this episode of NIL Edge, we sit down with Brennan White, Assistant AD / General Manager for NIL Administration at Illinois State, to explore how NIL strategy looks outside the Power Four — and what it really takes to build sustainable opportunities for student-athletes at the FCS level. Brennan shares lessons from Illinois State’s recent football success, the realities of operating with limited resources, and why re...

On this episode of NIL Edge, Sterling Randle sits down with Maya Bulger to go inside the day-to-day realities of running NIL at an SEC institution — and how Mississippi State is building a program rooted in education, authenticity, and strategic partnerships.

From revenue share logistics and third-party NIL operations to brand alignment and creative activations, Maya shares how her team is navigating the evolving NIL landscape...

In this episode of NIL Edge, we’re joined by Travis Hansen, Senior Associate Athletic Director - Revenue Sharing and NIL at BYU, for a deep dive into how one of college sports’ most unique institutions approaches NIL through a transformational—not transactional—lens. Travis shares how BYU aligns athlete identity, education, faith, and purpose with brand partnerships, and why the future of NIL must extend bey...

In this episode of NIL Edge, we sit down with Jack Adler, Founder & CEO of Out2Win, to unpack how data, authenticity, and scalable strategy are reshaping athlete brand partnerships.

Jack shares how Out2Win evolved from facilitating early NIL deals into a full-scale athlete marketability intelligence platform—and why brands, universities, and agencies can no longer afford to rely on guesswork. From micro-athlete ambassador ...

What does a sustainable, athlete-centric NIL operation actually look like inside a Big Ten athletic department? In this episode of The NIL Edge, Sterling Randle sits down with Jeremiah Carter, Executive Associate AD for NIL & Risk Management at the University of Minnesota, to break down how Minnesota is building NIL systems that balance compliance, creativity, and competitive advantage.

From “play better, post better&rdquo...