Seminoles’ partner for Name, Image and Likeness compensation coming in April

 

𝐘𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄

Prepped & ready to take our student-athletes to the next level! 📈#FSUApex pic.twitter.com/zCA9GiiByn

— FSU Seminoles (@Seminoles) April 12, 2021

FSU unveils bold plans to help athletes profit from Name, Image, Likeness

Here is the FSU release about the new in-house program:

Apex, a comprehensive, multi-tiered program designed to empower student-athletes to capitalize on upcoming Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) legislation, has launched within FSU athletics. The program, which includes a new partnership with INFLCR, will prepare Seminole student-athletes for the Intercollegiate Athlete Compensation and Rights bill that will take effect July 1 in Florida and provide structured support throughout their entire FSU playing careers.

The program is unlike any in college athletics. It was developed through a unique educational partnership with FSU's Jim Moran Institute, the nation's first stand-alone entrepreneurship college at a public university, FSU's nationally renowned College of Business, and the Academic Center for Excellence, which will offer two for-credit academic courses that each include instruction on NIL-related topics. Apex will offer Seminole student-athletes the opportunity to elevate their social media reach by utilizing the services provided by INFLCR, an industry leading content creation software platform supporting more than 800 teams and more than 30,000 athletes.

"I am extremely proud of the comprehensive nature of the Apex program," said FSU Vice President and Director of Athletics David Coburn. "The cornerstone principle from the start of this process was to educate our student-athletes, and education plays a central role in every aspect of Apex. We believe we are the only Power Five school in the nation that will offer two for-credit courses in NIL education. By partnering with the FSU College of Business, the Jim Moran Institute and INFLCR, we will provide a complete educational process from which our student-athletes will benefit immediately and throughout their lives."

Florida State student-athletes represent one of the most recognizable and iconic brands on and off the field with a far-reaching social media following.

· Florida State football has more followers on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook than any school in the state and the second-most in the ACC with more than 1.3M combined followers.

· Both FSU basketball programs have the most Twitter followers of any school in Florida.

· FSU’s main athletic social accounts have more than 770,000 followers.

· The FSU soccer Twitter account is the most followed of any collegiate program in the country.

· The FSU golf Twitter account is #4 among all women's golf programs.

· The women's tennis account ranks #6 and the swimming & diving Twitter account is the 8th-most followed.

· Three other FSU sport’s Twitter accounts are top 15 nationally and two more rank among the top 25.

Apex's objective is to allow all 500 Seminole student-athletes to maximize Florida State's national brand and put the student-athletes in the optimal position to capitalize on the benefits of the NIL bill passed in Florida.

"Florida's Intercollegiate Athlete Compensation and Rights bill goes into effect July 1, and from day one, we will be ready to assist our student-athletes in pursuing all the rights provided to them under the law," said Coburn. "Apex is structured to allow student-athletes to maximize their NIL potential while in college and help them graduate with less debt, assist their families and prepare for the next chapter in their lives."

INFLCR's software platform will enable FSU to store, track and deliver photo and video content to student-athletes and coaches. Student-athletes and other influencers can access their personalized content in real-time via their INFLCR mobile app, where they can download and share specific content to their social media platforms. In addition to providing weekly on-demand education on NIL topics, INFLCR will empower FSU's student-athletes and coaches with the media content to engage team’s communities and build a stronger brand following. Once NIL legislation becomes effective, INFLCR will provide student-athletes with access to an NIL marketplace and facilitate in any mandatory disclosure and reporting requirements.

The program's focus goes beyond the student-athlete's collegiate career. The two for-credit courses and the NIL education provided will lay out a road map to professional drafts, Olympic sports, graduate school, the workforce and entrepreneurism. It will facilitate student-athletes starting to build a foundation for NIL success as a freshman. Juniors and seniors will then enroll in a second credit course that will examine social media brand building, brand management, social analytics and platform best practices.

Seminole Athletics will also work with experienced experts on campus for the Apex program. Luke Hopkins, Associate Lecturer and Director, James M. Seneff Honors Program in the FSU College of Business; Lance Kerwin, Assistant Lecturer and Director, MIS Undergraduate Program and Combined Pathway Programs in the FSU College of Business; Lanny Lewis, Teach Faculty I and Entrepreneur in Residence in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship; and Dr. Srikant Manchiraju, Assistant Professor at Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, are all part of the Apex team developing and implementing the program department-wide.

This comprehensive, campus-wide approach to servicing FSU's student-athlete population ensures the Seminoles have access to experts locally and in a manner that fits the schedule of the student-athlete and not vice-versa. This approach allows the student-athlete to be the sole focus of those who are empowering them to elevate in this new college environment.

Seminoles’ partner for Name, Image and Likeness compensation coming in April

“We will have an announcement regarding a partner to provide education and content creation for our student-athletes in the middle of this month,” Coburn said yesterday during a live-streamed meeting.

What is NIL?

An acronym of Name, Image and Likeness, the term has been attached to the recent movement of athletes looking to be compensated for, at the very least, their own personal brand. Potential points of revenue range from sponsorships to apparel to situations such as the former UCF kicker who lost eligibility due to running a video gaming livestream channel.

What does a partner provide?

LSU and Texas were two of the first schools to announce partnerships with a company to help provide NIL services — a group called Altius Sports which includes Oliver Luck amongst its members.

To put it simply — a partner will help athletes find brands to help promote on their social channels and other ways to promote the individual.

How will this help Florida State — and more specifically, recruiting?

It’s not fair to say this is unprecedented — as mentioned above, two big-name programs in LSU and Texas have already made moves towards preparation for the new era of college athletics. While the NCAA has yet to still make an official policy change on the matter, laws in California and Florida are set to go into effect in a relatively short time frame — with Florida’s bill set to go into effect in July.

If FSU keeps to its timeline of announcing in April, by the time the state makes all athletes eligible to profit off their persona. UF has announced its own relationship with a company called Opendorse.

And that means all.

It’s easy to assume that the bulk of the cash would flow towards FSU’s football program and perhaps one or two presumed basketball lottery picks — but athletes across all programs (at all schools) maintain high social media followings, with former FSU soccer player Deyna Castellanos currently repping 1.5 million followers.

Instantly, FSU becomes a program that offers not just a top 15 public university experience, but also one that can offer you real-time income and education on building a brand, marketing, and navigating the world of sports media.