NIL Collective

[CBpony]

Can someone explain which is the best collective to donate to when it comes to attracting/retaining talented fball players? I would like to throw a little but want to go to the one that has a clearer path to players.

The boulevard collective website doesn’t list [deleted] on how they support or admin overhead fees

[BUS]

I don't know how many Collectives are at SMU. A while back, I joined ponysportsdtx as I don't have the coin to join The Boulevard Collective.
Now, I hear that The Boulevard minimum is 1000 dollars.
Expenses and fees???
I have met players that tell stories of how the money helped family.
Thank you for WANTING to help!

[peruna81]

I don't know how many Collectives are at SMU. A while back, I joined ponysportsdtx as I don't have the coin to join The Boulevard Collective.
Now, I here that The Boulevard minimum is 1000 dollars.
Expenses and fees???
I have met players that tell stories of how the money helped family.
Thank you for WANTING to help!

BUS is spot on...give what you can, when you can. There are several options, but ponysportsdtx is a great starting place, and is where I contribute too.

[Charleston Pony]

I had joined the PonySportsDTX Collective as well but have now joined the Boulevard Collective after watching this video. With the new rules coming following the House settlement there needs to be more monitoring of NIL deals. At one point I had heard Coach Lashlee say he had hoped for as many as 15,000 Mustang fans would join this Collective at the "Run with the Mustangs" level of $100/month. It will be interesting to see if SMU can continue competing with the much larger public schools that enjoy much larger student and alumni populations to supplement their own BMDs.

https://boulevardcollective.com/join-bo ... ollective/

[Water Pony]

It may surprise some that there is a similar Collective for non-revenue sports. I donate monthly to Men's Swimming, Women's Swimming, & Diving.

Whatever your focus, including the Mustang Band for example, support what you can.

[digman52]

I had joined the PonySportsDTX Collective as well but have now joined the Boulevard Collective after watching this video. With the new rules coming following the House settlement there needs to be more monitoring of NIL deals. At one point I had heard Coach Lashlee say he had hoped for as many as 15,000 Mustang fans would join this Collective at the "Run with the Mustangs" level of $100/month. It will be interesting to see if SMU can continue competing with the much larger public schools that enjoy much larger student and alumni populations to supplement their own BMDs.

https://boulevardcollective.com/join-bo ... ollective/

I just signed up for this as well.

[Charleston Pony]

While we are on the topic of NIL, don't know how many on this board have heard this story:

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... sponsible/

I seem to recall it was Texas Tech that originally decided to pay $25k/yr to scholarship football players...before SMU reportedly upped the ante

[Charleston Pony]

and now FSU is in the NIL news...not in a good way. Hope we ar able to keep or guys happy in this new world of college athletics

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... perts-say/

[BUS]

After reading about these contracts... where does the transfer portal come into play?

[birddogger]

and now FSU is in the NIL news...not in a good way. Hope we ar able to keep or guys happy in this new world of college athletics

https://www.cbssports.com/college-footb ... perts-say/

H.S. and portal athletes are well advised to engage attorneys to help them review these deals, and many may opt out of verbal commitments if they find provisions like those in the FSU contract not to their liking.

It feels like the next step toward collective bargaining.

[Charleston Pony]

And effective today as a result of the House settlement, our collectives are history and we now have the Student-Athlete Benefit Fund. All of us participating in the Boulevard Collective are being notified of this change. From the SMU Athletics site:

On June 6, 2025, Judge Claudia Wilken gave final approval of the House vs. NCAA case, which will drastically alter the landscape of intercollegiate athletics. This settlement creates a new framework for the business of college sports that allows schools to provide direct financial benefits to student-athletes. Beginning July 1, 2025, Division I schools will have the option to distribute up to $20.5 million per year to student-athletes. Now that the House settlement is in effect and SMU has directly taken on the responsibility for revenue-sharing with student-athletes, we invite you to continue your support through the newly created Student-Athlete Benefit Fund. Your tax-deductible contribution to the fund will play a vital role in sustaining SMUs recent momentum and preparing the university for the next era of intercollegiate athletics.

To learn more about the Student-Athlete Benefit Fund or to make a gift, please visit the site below or contact the Mustang Club at 214-768-4232.

Gifts for the Student-Athlete Benefit Fund are given to the University and dispersed directly to students. Donors who give to the Student-Athlete Benefit Fund access key benefits including tax deductibility, strategic use of funds directed towards SMU student-athletes, naming opportunities based on amount given, and priority access to athletic events and exclusive experiences. Now that the House v. NCAA settlement is in effect, gifts that were formerly made to the Boulevard Collective can be made directly to the Student-Athlete Benefit Fund.

[Charleston Pony]

Here's a link:

https://www.smu.edu/giving/student-athlete-benefit-fund

[EastStang]

According to the website, collectives are still in business with NIL deals.
"NIL deals with businesses who wish to partner with SMU student-athletes; these agreements will remain in place and are separate from revenue-sharing payments. The Student-Athlete Benefit Fund gives SMU student-athletes an additional financial benefit on top of their NIL deals."

[Charleston Pony]

According to the website, collectives are still in business with NIL deals.
"NIL deals with businesses who wish to partner with SMU student-athletes; these agreements will remain in place and are separate from revenue-sharing payments. The Student-Athlete Benefit Fund gives SMU student-athletes an additional financial benefit on top of their NIL deals."

The future of collectives to fund NIL deals is clear as mud to me. As someone who started contributing monthly to the Boulevard Collective after being told the future of the PonySportsDTX Collective was uncertain, I was recently informed they would no longer be taking those payments and I should consider contributing to the revenue sharing fund. I was told a more in depth explanation will be coming but I got the impression our collectives were being disbanded and see they have taken the link to the Boulevard Collective off the athletics site and replaced it with the revenue sharing fund. Then there is the College Sports Commission that was created in the aftermath of the House decision. From CBS Sports:

The CSC will police and enforce NIL and revenue-sharing rules tied to the terms of the House settlement. In essence, the CSC is set to become a smaller, more agile version of the NCAA's enforcement arm. The CEO will have final say on settlement-related items and enforcement of fair market value NIL deals of greater than $600, according to sources.

Clearly NIL deals will be available in addition to revenue sharing but it's unclear to me whether those deals will be funded through collectives and what changes might occur in that arena. One thing is clear, i.e., we need to be sure to fund the maximum revenue sharing allowable going forward and that will be on the administration to determine how those funds are distributed.

[Dukie]

According to the website, collectives are still in business with NIL deals.
"NIL deals with businesses who wish to partner with SMU student-athletes; these agreements will remain in place and are separate from revenue-sharing payments. The Student-Athlete Benefit Fund gives SMU student-athletes an additional financial benefit on top of their NIL deals."

The future of collectives to fund NIL deals is clear as mud to me. As someone who started contributing monthly to the Boulevard Collective after being told the future of the PonySportsDTX Collective was uncertain, I was recently informed they would no longer be taking those payments and I should consider contributing to the revenue sharing fund. I was told a more in depth explanation will be coming but I got the impression our collectives were being disbanded and see they have taken the link to the Boulevard Collective off the athletics site and replaced it with the revenue sharing fund. Then there is the College Sports Commission that was created in the aftermath of the House decision. From CBS Sports:

The CSC will police and enforce NIL and revenue-sharing rules tied to the terms of the House settlement. In essence, the CSC is set to become a smaller, more agile version of the NCAA's enforcement arm. The CEO will have final say on settlement-related items and enforcement of fair market value NIL deals of greater than $600, according to sources.

Clearly NIL deals will be available in addition to revenue sharing but it's unclear to me whether those deals will be funded through collectives and what changes might occur in that arena. One thing is clear, i.e., we need to be sure to fund the maximum revenue sharing allowable going forward and that will be on the administration to determine how those funds are distributed.

I would assume, but I have no idea, that they need small donors to give to the revenue sharing, and the Sewells of the world to support NIL so that the NIL payments pass Deloitte's review. We are heading back to the world where Tarkanian said the NCAA was so mad at Kentucky that they were going to slap Cleveland State with two years of probation.