Houston-focused LinkingCoogs surpasses $2 million in NIL deals

LinkingCoogs was established this past October.

In just a six-month span, the Houston-focused NIL collective has facilitated more than $2 million in NIL deals, the organization’s spokesman Landon Goesling told On3. While the University of Houston does have a school-specific NIL marketplace with Opendorse, LinkingCoogs has become one of the largest deal facilitators for Cougar athletes.

The brunt of collectives that have emerged in NIL’s first 20 months have opted to raise funds while others have registered as nonprofits. Unlike most, LinkingCoogs does not accept donations on its website.

Austin Elrod, Troy Kyle, Norman Stalarow and Greg Ralph founded the venture, bringing on Goesling to help run the operation. Goesling was formerly both a Houston guard and grad assistant. Athletes are compensated by partnerships procured by the collective. On LinkingCoogs’ website, businesses can fill out a form to set up an NIL deal.

“Us reaching over $2 million in deals in just a six-month span just shows you how far we have come and the amount of support from not only the University of Houston but the city of Houston. That’s why we go by the saying ‘for the city,'” Goesling told On3 in a statement. “Transitioning to the Big 12, we know how important NIL is to be able to compete at a championship level. … Obviously, this is a great achievement and accomplishment, but it’s only the beginning.”

LinkingCoogs succeeding in Houston market

LinkingCoogs has not had any trouble finding Houston businesses to work with. Goesling did not provide specifics but said Houston’s basketball team has received a “good chunk” of the $2 million. The Cougars are currently the top-ranked team in the nation.

The owner of Houston’s Gallery Furniture, Jim “Mattress Mack” McIngvale pledged seven figures to Cougars’ basketball in November.

Daspit Law Firm also signed a team-wide NIL deal in December. As part of the agreement, the players agreed to film a commercial for Daspit Law Firm. The players celebrated with a team dinner in downtown Houston, complete with a private dining room and custom light-up menus

This past week, the sportswear brand Actively Black inked a team partnership, which was also facilitated through LinkingCoogs.

College athletics’ arms race

Poised to be the No. 1 overall seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament, Houston has had to compete in the ever-evolving NIL landscape. The NIL arms race has emerged as the biggest theme in college football and basketball since the NCAA allowed athletes to begin monetizing their publicity rights back in July 2021.

Donor-led collectives have popped up across the country, competing to raise the most funds to attract high school recruits and retain athletes looking at the transfer portal.

According to The Athletic, five-star quarterback Nico Iamaleava, who has since enrolled at Tennessee, signed an NIL deal last March that could pay him more than $8 million over four years. The quarterback committed to the Vols within two weeks of the agreement being executed.

Similar stories have popped up. LifeWallet owner John Ruiz announced Kansas State transfer Nijel Pack had signed a two-year, $800,000 deal along with keys to a car on the same day he committed to Miami.