Nebraska debuts NIL collective on-field logos in Memorial Stadium
For the first time in Nebraska football history, on-field corporate logos will be on the Memorial Stadium turf.
The Huskers are debuting logos at the 25-yard line for Saturday night’s matchup with rival Colorado. At both 25-yard lines will be the logo for the 1890 Nebraska NIL collective. The NCAA approved schools to place corporate logos in June.
The official NIL collective of Nebraska athletics, it’s a key partnership for the NIL collective and the Cornhuskers. New Nebraska athletic director Troy Dannen has prioritized NIL since arriving in Lincoln. The collective was rebranded 1890 Nebraska in July and received the full backing of the athletic department.
Dannen’s decision to give the NIL collective premium sponsorship will be crucial to raising dollars. The NCAA’s decision to allow on-field sponsorships comes ahead of the House v. NCAA settlement which would allow schools to share upwards of $22 million with athletes. Athletic departments are using the on-field sponsorships for a new revenue stream.
Full details of 1890 Nebraska’s agreement with the Huskers athletic department for the logos on the Memorial Stadium turf are unclear.
“Whether you like it or not, the era of compensating the athletes directly, in this way through NIL, is here,” Dannen previously told On3. “If you want to thrive, if you want to win, and let’s not kid ourselves, it’s all about winning. What do you need to do to win? You have to invest in NIL. You have to invest in the partnerships, you have to commit to it.
“Not being involved and not partnering ties one of your coach’s hands behind his back. My job is to give every coach everything they need to have success, and this is an important part of it.”
Nebraska viewed as one of Big Ten’s top collectives
Nebraska is viewed as one of the top NIL collectives in the Big Ten and the nation. The Huskers flipped five-star quarterback Dylan Raiola from Georgia in December. Many view Raiola landing in Lincoln as a major NIL statement.
The collective received unprecedented support from Nebraska this summer, too. Included in the partnership, donations made to 1890 will be eligible for Huskers Athletic Fund priority points and can be included in calculating Huskers Athletic Fund membership levels.
And with former Husker great Matt Davison partnering with Nebraska businessman Tom Peed and Shawn Peed, Nebraska can compete with most NIL budgets.
“They saw a guy who could turn around a program and invested in him,” a fellow Big Ten NIL collective leader told On3. “The institutional alignment and priority points have made them a gold standard.”
Dannen’s decision to roll out 1890 Nebraska on-field logos is just another sign of his all-in approach to NIL.
“There’s always somebody that pays their coach more,” the Nebraska athletic director previously told On3. “There’s always somebody that’s going to pay their athletes more, professionally, college sports, in every place. It’s how you pay it, it’s how you allocate it. It’s are you getting the bang for the buck? Are you not wasting money on those investments? I think that defines it.”