Troy Taylor shares Stanford's approach to NIL

Stanford is beginning a new era with the football program, with Troy Taylor taking over for David Shaw. There are a few areas the Cardinal needs to play catch up, with one of those being NIL. Even with USC and UCLA heading out the door, other Pac-12 programs have adapted to the new times. Recruiting wins have followed, especially with West Coast kids staying in the conference.

Taylor shared Stanford’s approach to NIL, saying it’s not going to be the program’s main sales pitch when talking to players. There are plenty of things that make Stanford an interesting choice. But still, NIL will be available for those who decided to play in Palo Alto.

“Stanford is always going to be Stanford,” Taylor said at Pac-12 Media Days. “The strength of our university is our people, our degree, our culture. But we do have a collective, and it’s competitive. It’s one of those things that’s here to stay in college football.”

As Taylor mentioned, Stanford does have a collective named Lifetime Cardinal. Allen Thorpe is the co-founder of it, with former quarterback Andrew Luck being attached as well. Lifetime Cardinal is meant for more than just football players earning a few dollars according to its bio, with Thorpe hoping for career opportunities to arise as well.

The life after football aspect is another thing Taylor preached when discussing NIL. Another benefit players will have once they move on from the game, being in the hub of multiple industries. Sure, earning a few dollars while in school is nice but Taylor believes having a Stanford degree on your resume is quite a powerful tool.

“I always say that you don’t come to Stanford for the collective, but we have a powerful alumni,” Taylor said. “There’s things that come with being a Stanford alumni that you can’t get anywhere else. We’re in Silicon Valley. Most of those start-ups, a lot of them have been created by Stanford people. There are opportunities for our players with internships as well as the collective. Then being a part of and taking a degree from the greatest university in the world.

“We feel really competitive in all those areas.”

Stanford is recruiting well at the moment, having the Pac-12’s second-ranked class and No. 22 per the On3 Industry Team Rankings. Taylor was always going to have an academic angle to play with recruits, preaching the opportunities they represent.

Throw in NIL once players arrive on campus and the Cardinal have a ton to offer.