Name, Image, and Likeness.
For nearly two years, NIL has dominated the college sports world, allowing NCAA athletes to make money off of their own name, image, and likeness, something that hadn't been allowed for decades.
Whether it's being able to sell clothing with the athletes' name and number or being the face of a local company, college athletes now have the opportunity to make money in a similar way professional athletes do.
Florida State softball senior outfielder Kaley Mudge was fresh off a Women's College World Series appearance with the Seminoles in 2021, and on partial scholarship when the NCAA adopted an NIL policy. Wanting to get involved, she doesn't see NIL as an opportunity to splurge, but to pay back her own debts, help out her parents and save for the future.
"As athletes, we're not able to have a full-time job," Mudge said. "I thought it'd be great to make some money on the side as a partial scholarship athlete and I was really excited to just give back. I wanted to help pay for my tuition and hopefully come out of college with little to no debt."
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Bringing her message to the national level
Mudge works with College Sports Evaluation, a service that evaluates athletes ranging from youth to college athletes to find their fit at the college sports level, whether that be Division I, NAIA, or Junior College, and developed them in order to get there.
Since getting involved, Mudge has not just been a face for a company, but NIL in general. She's made it a major point of her involvement to educate everyone on what exactly NIL is, how it can help student-athletes, and dispel any negative connotation that comes with it.
As a student-athlete that is using the money toward tuition and finances, it's important to Mudge that those in charge understand that NIL isn't used to make student-athletes rich and that it goes beyond involvement in major sports, like football and basketball.
"Coming in partial scholarship, I never thought I'd have the opportunity to help pay for my tuition and help pay for these things," Mudge said. "Now being able to help pay for all of that has been the main reason why I've gotten into NIL and been such a big proponent."
"I think it's super beneficial for all athletes across the board, maybe some that don't come from wealthy backgrounds and that can give back to their families."
In developing a passion for NIL education, Mudge has taken her message to the national level, speaking to House Energy and Commerce Subcommitteein March about regulating NIL nationally. In February, the state of Florida eased back on its NIL restrictions, allowing universities to provide additional entrepreneurial workshops to their players.
Mudge was the only active NCAA athlete who was a part of the panel that spoke to Congress, which included herself, Patriot League Commissioner Jennifer Heppel, Virginia State University President Dr. Makola M. Abdullah, former NFL player Trey Burton, Washington State Director of Athletics Pat Chun and Executive Director and Founder of the College Football Players Association Jason Stahl.
"It was one of the best experiences of my life," Mudge said. "I was really nervous when first I got there, being in front of members of Congress, I never thought that I'd be able to do that. I was just honored that I was able to share my story and educate them more on what NIL was and how it can be beneficial, and not just in a negative way."
"Up in DC, they never get to hear the personal stories of why NIL is huge. I'm sure they hear the stories of certain rules being broken, but I was just grateful to share my positive experience with NIL."
The trip to DC didn't just reflect positively on Mudge, but FSU as a whole. Back in Tallahassee, Seminoles head coach Lonni Alameda was tuned in to watch Mudge speak to Congress and said that Mudge has done a great job spreading the message about NIL.
"NIL is in its infancy stages and something that everyone is trying to live in the world of," Alameda said. "I think Mudge has done a great job jumping into this business world but at the same time still keeping her feet on the ground where she's at."
"She's going to help the sport, help the game and help navigate a world that's unique to us. I'm really proud of her and thankful that she is a Seminole."
Breaking a negative stigma
It can be easy to see why people may be hesitant when it comes to NIL involvement. According to On3, USC basketball commit Bronny James, who has not played a college game, is the No. 1 ranked NIL athlete with a NIL valuation of $6.8 million. Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who has also not played a game yet, has his NIL valuation ranked at $2.8 million.
In February, the NCAA issued its first-ever NIL sanctions to the University of Miami after booster John Ruiz provided an "impermissible meal" to Haley and Hanna Cavinder when they were being recruited to come to Miami from Fresno State. While both players weren't punished, and neither was Ruiz, Hurricanes head coach Katie Meier was suspended for three games.
It's situations like these that have motivated Mudge to push for regulation in NIL at the national level, and have those making the rules gain a better understanding of what's going on. She and others want to show that NIL is used more so for good rather than bad.
"I do think, nationally, some rules and regulations need to be created because now it's just up to the states," Mudge said. "On the national level, there can be recruiting advantages and disadvantages, and transfer portal advantages and disadvantages when it comes to NIL. That's a lot of what the news is highlighting that NIL is bad cause it can be used for recruiting."
"It shouldn't be allowed, but in this world now, NIL can have certain laws or it can have no laws. It's important to be able to create a national, level playing field, where NIL can be used for good. It can be used for a beneficial experience, but it shouldn't be taken for granted where there are no rules or regulations."
Jack Williams covers Florida State athletics for Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at jwilliams@tallahassee.com oron Twitter@jackgwilliams.
