NIL first: BYU football strikes teamwide apparel deal with Ruke Agency

NIL teamwide deals with collectives have become the latest fashionable trend in college athletics. It’s happened at Texas Tech, Marquette, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, SMU and several other schools across the country. However, we’ve now seen what’s believed to be another NIL first – a teamwide deal for licensed apparel.

The Ruke Agency announced it has agreed to a teamwide NIL deal with members of the BYU football squad. As part of the deal, licensed apparel with the player’s names and numbers is being sold on the Ruke Agency’s website.

The terms of the deals with the players were not announced. However, the deal was brokered by BYU-focused NIL collective CougConnect. CougConnect was launched in November, and it’s quickly become one of the top booster-driven groups West of the Mississippi. This deal is another example of CougConnect’s success with student-athletes at BYU.

Terms of the NIL deal were not released. With other deals Ruke has executed, players earn at least $10 for every item sold in their custom merchandise shop, according to Ruke’s website.

Ruke says more than 80 BYU football players opted into the opportunity. The preorder window closes on Wednesday and items will ship the week of Sept. 6. Gear available is priced from $34.99 for a T-shirt to $59.99 for a hoodie.

BYU linebacker Masen Wake was featured in the social media post from Ruke.

Ruke has deals with numerous players

Outside of the teamwide deal at BYU, Ruke has athlete shops for football players at Alabama, Oregon, Michigan State, LSU, Oregon State, Utah, Miami, South Carolina, Illinois, Cal, Jackson State, Washington State and TCU. It also has apparel available for players representing other schools in baseball, softball, basketball and volleyball.

“Our goal at Ruke is to help each athlete build their brand,” the company’s website said. “We build each athlete a custom shop and handle all of the backend logistics so they are able to focus on school and training. This includes setting up an online shop with personalized apparel and merchandise for friends, family, and fans. Ruke athletes will be paid for every piece sold on their personal store while maintaining 100% control over their brand.”