New Roll Tide Natural Jerky NIL product to benefit Alabama offensive line

Alabama offensive linemen will soon benefit from a new NIL product.

Through a partnership between the Alabama-driven NIL collective Yea Alabama and Crimson Tide Sports Marketing, Roll Tide Natural Jerky will soon be hitting shelves with a portion of proceeds going to offensive linemen.

The two flavors being sold are “Big Man Barbeque” and “Mean Mesquite.” Big Man Barbeque is a honey barbecue-flavored pork jerky, while Mean Mesquite is a smokey mesquite-flavored beef jerky. The product will be available at retail locations across Alabama and at RollTideJerky.com.

More and more NIL entities are crafting different approaches to create revenue for athletes, with some making the decision to launch beer or liquor lines. Yea Alabama recently teased a vodka that will be hitting shelves shortly.

According to the jerky’s about page, the Alabama offensive line was able to sample multiple jerky flavors, with beef and pork options. A group of nine Tide athletes have signed on to work with the jerky product:

• Elijah Pritchett
• Seth McLaughlin
• Olaus Alinen
• Darrian Dalcourt
• Wilkin Formby
• Miles McVay
• Tyler Booker
• Kadyn Proctor
• JC Latham

“We are thrilled to introduce an innovative new partnership with Yea Alabama that delivers a product around one of the most recognizable brands in sports, while creating opportunities for our exceptional student-athletes,” Crimson Tide Sports Marketing general manager Jim Carabin said in a statement. “We believe this partnership will serve as another outstanding example of what’s possible when a brand works with student-athletes to amplify its message.”

Offensive lines have benefited in the NIL Era. Horns with Heart, a nonprofit charity organization, announced in December 2021 that it would provide every scholarship offensive lineman at Texas with $50,000 annually as part of a new NIL program. The initiative has since rolled into the Texas One Fund, which works with all Longhorn varsity sports.

 Charlie Hustle, Wildcat NIL and the Kansas State offensive line released “BEEF” T-shirts earlier this month, featuring a tagline of “Manhandlers of Manhattan.” Gear featuring the K-State offensive line and the “Beef” nickname has been something Wildcat fans have been clamoring for, and it’s been a hit in the Little Apple.

“This is a prime example of how NIL can work for student-athletes,” Yea Alabama executive director Jay McPhillips said. “Not only will the student-athletes benefit financially from the opportunity, but they were also an integral part of the decision-making process that helped bring Roll Tide Jerky to life. Gaining that experience at such a young age will have an immeasurable impact on their entrepreneurial spirit, which will benefit them the rest of their lives. Roll Tide Jerky is such a natural fit for our offensive linemen, and we were proud to partner with Crimson Tide Sports Marketing on such a unique and creative opportunity.”

Yea Alabama latest to offer NIL program for offensive line

The official NIL entity of Alabama athletics since its launch back in February, Yea Alabama this is not the first innovative idea launched to engage the Tide fanbase. The organization hosted a meet and greet with four early enrollees at The Authentic this past winter, and it has released T-shirts with multiple teams to benefit athletes.

Working closely with the Tide, the collective has organized a series of luncheons featuring football coach Nick Saban called “Nick at Noon.” Tickets to each of the five luncheons scheduled throughout the fall cost $95, with proceeds benefiting Alabama athletes.

The organization has received backing and praise from Saban and Alabama athletic director Greg Byrne. It has also preferred to call itself an entity over a collective because of the connotation of the word.

“I think the primary reason was just because some of the negative connotation … with ‘collective’ being a potential four-letter word,” Yea Alabama’s executive director Jay McPhillips previously told On3. “In fact, I believe athletic director Greg Byrne used that same analogy during an interview when speaking about NIL at some point in the past.

“There’s certain connotation that comes with the word ‘collective,’ and while we have operations that seem very similar to other collectives and how they operate, because of ours being multifaceted – it’s not just a collective of funds. It is a much more diverse, full entity that helps our student-athletes in multiple capacities.”