Flying T Club inks NIL deals with trio of TCU transfers

The Flying T Club continues to make NIL waves with TCU’s Transfer Portal pickups.

The Horned Frog-focused collective signed three more players on Friday at its “Flying T Friday lunch,” announced in an Instagram post.

Former Alabama offensive lineman Tommy Brockermeyer has signed a partnership. A pair of former SEC receivers — LSU‘s Jack Bech and Ole Miss‘ Jaylon Robinson — also inked deals with the collective. The move comes a week after the collective signed the other four incoming TCU transfers.

A five-star offensive lineman coming out of All Saints’ Episcopal School in Fort Worth, Brockermeyer saw minimal playing time in his two seasons with the Crimson Tide. He’s now landed closer to home at TCU.

Bech finished with 16 catches for 100 yards and a touchdown this past season. Robinson appeared in just eight games this past season, grabbing five catches. TCU lost seven players to the Transfer Portal but also added seven.

Importance of roster retention

Making sure incoming transfers sign NIL agreements soon after arriving on campus has become a priority for NIL collectives across the country, especially in college football. While roster retention has become a driving theme, signing transfer sets a tone for the athlete’s career at the school.

Announcing the signings is just as important. The Ole Miss-aligned Grove Collective re-signed Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins four days before the portal opened.

The Flying T Club was established back in August 2021 as a non-profit for TCU athlete. Founded by Ches Williams, Jeff Patman and Bryan Harlan, the collective named longtime Horned Frogs football and basketball color analyst John Denton as executive director in November. He also served in a multitude of development and fundraising roles for TCU in the past 15 years.

With a 501(c)(3) status secured, donations to The Flying T Club can be written off. According to a report from the Fort Worth Magazine in September, the collective has raised more than $3 million from over 200 members.

TCU’s shrinking NIL collective market

Winning the Fiesta Bowl and making the national title game has brought TCU into the spotlight. It also did not double the institution’s alumni base.

With roughly roughly 75,000 living alumni, that does not leave the largest group to tap into. For comparison, the Ohio State alumni association estimates 600,000 living alumni.

TCU-focused Think NIL announced last week it would put a pause button on its operations.

“Think NIL announces (an) indefinite pause of operations following a memorable year of NIL activations for TCU student-athletes,” Think NIL announced on social media. “Over the past year, Think NIL has sought out and created numerous NIL opportunities for TCU student-athletes. It has been our honor to have had a direct impact on the overall student-athlete experience at TCU.

“During this pause, Think NIL will be evaluating and navigating the next steps of the organization. We look forward to watching the continued success of all our incredible student-athletes at TCU.”

That leaves The Flying T Club as the prominent collective in Fort Worth. Many NIL experts believe more collective consolidation is on the way in many markets. That’s especially true as athletic departments officially tap their preferred collectives and boosters grow tiresome of donating to multiple groups.