These D3’s Are Ahead on NIL
D3 NIL - 2023 Year in Review
2023 is in the books, and with it another year of D3 NIL deals.
At the moment, it appears there are two primary models D3 schools are pursuing:
Setting up an NIL marketplace for athletes using a service like Opendorse
Supporting the establishment of a school-related collective that sponsors NIL deals (Note: Collectives are a separate legal entity from the school)
We will cover both in this post, but before we do here’s a quick NIL history lesson for those that are not familiar.
D3 NIL: How We Got Here
NIL (which stands for “Name, Image, and Likeness”) was legalized in 2021, meaning college athletes could finally monetize their status as athletes.
Whittier College Football made waves by signing the first ever team-wide D3 deal in September 2021, while a flurry of individual athletes also inked deals. At that point, many were skeptical that there would be much (if any) long-term viability in NIL for D3 athletes. But since then, D3 athletes have proven that they very much belong in the space.
Based on data from July 2021 through December 2023 (via Opendorse) the average D3 athlete is out-earning their D2 and NAIA counterpart by a nearly 2;1 and 4:1 ratio, respectively.
Average NIL Compensation by Division
NCAA - Division 1: $9,631
NCAA - Division 2: $398
NCAA - Division 3: $790
NAIA: $213
(Data via Opendorse as of 12/2023)
D3’s Utilizing an NIL Marketplace
Pacific Lutheran University
PLU established their ‘Luteville Marketplace’ on Opendorse back in August 2022 - the first dedicated NIL marketplace in Division III.
We caught up with PLU’s AD, Mike Snyder, to see how it’s gone so far and where the Lutes want to go with NIL in 2024. Enjoy!
PLU NIL by the Numbers
Number of D3 Athlete NIL Deals: 67
Total D3 Athlete Compensation: >$13,000
Advice for other D3 Athletic Directors confused about NIL?
Mike Snyder (PLU): Ask questions. Talk to fellow ADs and learn what you can. NIL is applicable to D3 and will continue to grow in importance to our student-athletes. If you are not proactively involved in supporting your student-athletes in this area, others will.
PLU’s NIL related goals for 2024?
Mike Snyder (PLU): My goals continue to be to support our student-athletes however they need. Not everyone is engaged in deals (by their own choice), but for those who are, I want to be sure to support them in this area just like I would in their athletic and academic pursuits. I continue to get inquiries from local and national companies interested in PLU Athletes. I would love nothing more than to make sure those interested athletes are properly connected so they can accomplish their NIL goals.
East Texas Baptist University
Adam Ledyard, the Assistant Athletic Director for Communications at ETBU, posted some of the first NIL deals that got our attention during COVID. Here’s what the Tigers have done since they started exploring NIL options with Opendorse back in 2020.
ETBU NIL by the Numbers
Number of D3 Athlete NIL Deals: 75
Total D3 Athlete Compensation: $8,500
Want More D3 NIL Insights?
Check out the full 2023 D3 NIL Recap on our Substack newsletter, Recruit to the Real World.
We interviewed more D3 Athletic Directors & a D3 Collective to glean their NIL takeaways and summarize them for you!
Subscribe to our newsletter today and be one of the first to get our 2024 D3 NIL Recap before anyone else.
Thanks for reading!
-D3Direct