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Nick Saban left the sideline for the broadcasting commentator desk, but he still has ideas and influence on college football.
The retired coaching legend told The Pat McAfee Show that the NIL era has “maybe hurt the SEC a little bit” and helped schools up North (i.e., Big Ten), where money, not geography, is shaping recruiting decisions.
“Kids are not growing up wanting to go to Alabama or Georgia,” Saban said. “They want to go wherever’s going to pay them the most.”
It’s an acknowledgment of the four-plus year NIL era. The new game is about compensation, not legacy. And the results have supported his point — the Big Ten has captured the last two national titles. NIL hasn’t just changed players’ choices and determined which programs improve, it has redefined college football.
NIL is important to all college athletes as an opportunity to achieve income and gain prestige on campus. While prestige was the prior focus, now it’s on opportunity.
(Fox News)
Black Friday planning
There are 44 days until Black Friday, the biggest retail sales day.
E-commerce companies and others are looking into lining up Black Friday promotions with college athletes.
Like previous years, Black Friday is a major opportunity for businesses to partner with college athletes because of its importance — consumers see Black Friday as a day to spend.
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Stanford football’s $50 mlilion gift
Former Stanford football player Bradford Freeman donated a record $50 million to jolt Stanford football back to life after four straight 3–9 seasons.
The gift gives Andrew Luck and AD John Donahoe the firepower to modernize recruiting through scholarships and a robust institutional NIL program — a must in today’s talent marketplace. (ESPN)
Stanford football received a generous $50 million donation from a former letter winner, which may bolster the declining program. (Ray Chavez/Bay Area News Group)
Find your customers on Roku this Black Friday
As with any digital ad campaign, the important thing is to reach streaming audiences who will convert. To that end, Roku’s self-service Ads Manager stands ready with powerful segmentation and targeting options. After all, you know your customers, and we know our streaming audience.
Worried it’s too late to spin up new Black Friday creative? With Roku Ads Manager, you can easily import and augment existing creative assets from your social channels. We also have AI-assisted upscaling, so every ad is primed for CTV.
Once you’ve done this, then you can easily set up A/B tests to flight different creative variants and Black Friday offers. If you’re a Shopify brand, you can even run shoppable ads directly on-screen so viewers can purchase with just a click of their Roku remote.
Bonus: we’re gifting you $5K in ad credits when you spend your first $5K on Roku Ads Manager. Just sign up and use code GET5K. Terms apply.
Quick Hits
Texas quarterback Arch Manning’s NIL valuation jumped $300,000 to $5.3 million after a dominant Red River win over Oklahoma, keeping him the No. 1-ranked athlete in On3’s NIL 100. Despite recent ups and downs, Manning still holds the top spot ahead of rising contender Carson Beck of Miami. (SI.com)
On the other side, Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer’s NIL value dropped $547,000 to $2.6 million, though he still ranks eighth among all college football players.
Syracuse’s Otto the Orange became the first collegiate mascot to sign an NIL deal, joining The NIL Store’s 2025 Mascot Mania Jersey Collection. The retro jersey line shares proceeds with Syracuse athletes and the mascot program, blending school spirit with a groundbreaking NIL milestone. Other mascots are also included. (Syracuse)
Overtime
Hope you’re enjoying the Game Changers newsletter.
Brought to you by Eric Wein from Athletes Endorse, a Los Angeles-based agency that creates sales-driven athlete marketing campaigns in under 30 days.
Email: [email protected]
Thank you for reading.
Until next week,
