On Wednesday, Oct. 4, the Utah Crimson Collective made history. It has been years since NIL was started, but the University of Utah is taking it further than it has ever been.

NIL was created to allow collegiate athletes to benefit from their name, image and likeness. Essentially, athletes could now do commercials and advertising for a sponsor, all while being paid.

This is a far step from the previous policies of the NCAA. Reggie Bush’s 2005 Heisman was forfeited in 2010 after an NCAA investigation found that Bush was accepting money from USC. Now athletes are encouraged to seek NIL deals, with many schools creating NIL collectives.

The Crimson Collective was created to support Utah athletics and contribute to non-profit organizations in the Salt Lake community. In one of the largest NIL moves to ever happen, the collective has offered all players on scholarship a 2024 Ram Big Horn 1500 Truck. The truck lease and insurance costs are all being provided by the collective.

Qualifying players must be on scholarship, have a good driving record and be willing to promote awareness of the collective to encourage other student athletes to benefit from NIL deals. These players will also be encouraged to give back to their community.

Athletes will also use “For The Win 360,” a video platform made for NIL collectives, to develop content including player interviews and behind-the-scenes videos. This move will allow athletes to promote Utah athletics, as well as the collective.

For the Crimson Collective, this is a blend of advertising and making real change. This has allowed the collective to gain national attention and players are being encouraged to sign NIL deals within their communities. But this is also one of the goals of the collective, they are providing these trucks to players and helping them to thrive.

This news could have a big impact on Utah football. Being the first of its kind, the deal has gained plenty of coverage nationwide. This potentially gives Utah a boost in recruiting, showing potential prospects that the school is giving back to players with more than just scholarships.

With the potential future success of the collective and For The Win 360, Utah is hoping that this will expand to sports other than football.

This deal has the potential to change the entire NIL landscape. Many universities already have collectives helping their athletes gain NIL deals, but the Crimson Collective has pushed Utah right to the top.

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@seanoverton3