What is Auburn's NIL collective? Boosters launch 'On To Victory' donation group
AUBURN — Donors officially launched Auburn's new NIL collective Thursday, a group named "On To Victory" and started by Dr. Wesley Spruill, an Auburn alum and Tuscaloosa physician.
The collective is an enterprise independent from the university that will pool funds from businesses and Auburn boosters in order to help Auburn athletes profit off their name, image and likeness.
On To Victory bought out Auburn's previous leading collective, NIL-Auburn, which was founded by local lawyer and former AU baseball player Rick Davidson.
The new manifestation of the collective consists of six board members: Spruill, Mike Arasin, Nick Davis, Steve Fleming, Keith Jones and Ned Sheffield. According to a press release from Spruill, none of the board members will receive any compensation, and a minimum of 90% of proceeds will go directly to Auburn athletes.
An advisory committee of former Auburn athletes will be involved in the evaluation of business partnerships. Donors will receive donation and expense reports in the interest of transparency, according to the release.
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The specific roles and activities of collectives in the NIL space have been scrutinized in recent months, with reports of boosters recruiting athletes using NIL offers. In May, the NCAA Division I Board of Directors approved new guardrails clarifying existing bylaws that prohibit boosters from being involved in recruiting. It opened the door for NCAA enforcement staff to retroactively investigate potential rules violations.
College athletes have been able to profit off their name, image and likeness since July 1, 2021. With differing state NIL laws complicating the NIL space, college sports administrators including SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey have attempted to seek out a federal solution to level the playing field.
The On To Victory collective's launch included its website at OnToVictory.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Auburn boosters launch 'On To Victory' NIL collective
