Georgia star Brock Bowers not accepting deals from NIL collective

After Georgia won back-to-back national championships, tight end Brock Bowers has established himself as one of the top players in the sport. Bowers was the leading receiver for the Bulldogs last season. He also showed off his speed multiple times as he tallied two rushing touchdowns.

All of his production and highlight-reel moments have led to plenty of chances to profit off his name, image and likeness rights. He’s been able to craft his own brand, signing notable deals with Dick’s Sporting Goods, Zaxby’s and NOBULL. Bowers has yet to announce a brand partnership following last month’s national title win.

What Bowers will not be doing, however, is taking a payment from the Classic City Collective, the preferred Georgia NIL collective. He has not accepted a deal from the organization, nor has he gone soliciting one, sources close to the situation told On3. Instead, the tight end would prefer that the funds are directed to his teammates or fellow Georgia athletes.

Of course it is a generous and selfless move from Bowers. But it plays into a larger narrative, showing how there are two types of deals currently in NIL.

First is the typical endorsement deals with brands, which he has had plenty of opportunities. His team at Everett Sports Management will continue to ramp up activity in that category. Then there are collective-driven deals.

Quarterbacks Caleb Williams and C.J. Stroud have excelled in the last 18 months since the start of the NCAA’s NIL era. And while both had strong relationships with their school’s collectives, their brand deals were an apparent focus.

With the intersection of NIL and the Transfer Portal, collectives across the nation placed an emphasis on roster retention. Striking agreements has been key in some situations to ensuring athletes do not leave for the portal.

There’s little doubt Bowers would be able to command a strong package from the collective, though. Sources indicated to On3 a potential deal would be in the mid-six figures.

The tight end currently holds a $1.2 million On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks 15th in the On3 NIL 100.

The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

As a sophomore, the tight end will have one more season at Georgia until he is eligible for the NFL draft. With multiple pieces of the national title team leaving for the NFL draft, there’s little doubt he will be one of the most recognizable faces in the program.

Bowers is banking on his brand value. He also knows the cash sitting at the professional level outweighs whatever NIL opportunities thrown his way.