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TrueNU - Northwestern Wildcats Collective
Founders
Jacob Schmidt
Executive Director
After watching rival Big Ten programs make big waves on the NIL front, the Northwestern Wildcats finally have a collective supporting its student-athletes. With the announced launch of TrueNU in December 2022, Northwestern was the last Big Ten athletic program to have a collective. Executive Director Jacob Schmidt – a former Wildcat star running back and Director of Football Operations under Pat Fitzgerald – said TrueNU will have a non-profit and charity focus as a 501(c)(3) collective. “Northwestern is not the most flashy program when it comes to NIL, but we have some great avenues for support,” Schmidt said.