Four Alabama early enrollees set for NIL meet and greet

Alabama has not rushed into the name, image and likeness world.

But one of the biggest brands in college sports has ramped up its activity in the last month. At the end of January, the Alabama athletic department announced plans for the creation of an NIL hub called The Advantage Center. The press release alluded to the center being the “epicenter” for more than 600 Crimson Tide athletes’ NIL activities.

Earlier this month, Yea Alabama launched as the “NIL entity” for Crimson Tide athletics, with the backing of football coach Nick Saban and athletic director Greg Byrne.

This weekend, Alabama is rolling out one of its most aggressive NIL moves yet. The Tide will be holding a meet and greet with four highly-touted freshmen and fans at The Authentic shop at Bryan-Denny Stadium on Saturday. Through a long-term partnership with Fanatics, the Tide opened the first-ever team store at the stadium this fall, with a distinct focus on NIL.

Caleb Downs, Justice Haynes, Kadyn Procotor and James Smith will all be at the event, according to the announcement made on Alabama’s official Twitter account. The four athletes were pillars of the 2023 recruiting class, which finished No. 1 in the On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.

The group of early enrollees will sign autographs and take pictures at The Authentic Shop from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Alabama basketball is set to host Arkansas on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip.

Fans who attend the meet and greet will be charged $25 for each personal item brought to be autographed. Any items purchased in-store will be eligible for complimentary autographs. Kids 12 and under can have an item signed for no charge.

Plans for Yea Alabama

The importance of NIL collectives in college sports has become apparent in the past 18 months. Collectives have surfaced at nearly every Division I school. And the word collective, which has no ulterior meaning, has become synonymous with name, image and likeness.

The race is to stockpile the most cash to distribute to current players so recruits know what they can make once they enroll at the college. These organizations have also placed an emphasis on roster retention. Striking agreements has been key in some situations to ensure athletes do not leave for the portal.

Yea Alabama will fill that void for Alabama, working with the backing of the Tide.

“Yea Alabama’s approach is both cutting edge and sustainable in an ever-changing NIL environment,” Byrne said. “Having one platform that allows supporters, subscribers and businesses a place to engage is so beneficial. This is another way for every ‘Bama fan to get behind our student-athletes, and we fully support Yea Alabama.”

Early enrollees’ On3 NIL Valuation

The top-ranked safety in the 2023 class, Downs has a $632,000 On3 NIL Valuation. While he was not able to turn a profit on his publicity rights during high school in Georgia, he built up a strong social media following. With more than 89,000 followers, his valuation sits 56th in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation. The valuation also ranks No. 42 in college football.

Haynes was the No. 2 running back coming out of high school. He’s expected to receive carries early during his time in Tuscaloosa. With a $382,000 On3 NIL Valuation, he sits at No. 89 in college football.

When Proctor flipped from Iowa to Alabama in December, he only helped his On3 NIL Valuation. Playing for one of college athletics’ top brands only helped. His $472,000 valuation is 81st in the On3 NIL 100.

Another five-star recruit in the 2023 class, Smith was the third overall defensive line recruit in the nation. His $285,000 evaluation sits in the top 150 of college football.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.