Purdue collective ushers in new NIL era with Drew Brees addition, schoolwide deals

Drew Brees led Purdue to some of its best moments in school history. Now the Super Bowl winner and future NFL Hall of Famer is poised to again help the Boilermakers reach new heights through NIL. 

Purdue-focused NIL collective Boilermaker Alliance is announcing Thursday that Brees is the newest member of its executive board. The former New Orleans Saints and Boilermaker star quarterback will be making a meaningful time commitment to the collective’s board, sources told On3.

Along with the announcement of Brees taking an active role in its executive board, the Boilermaker Alliance will announce it is offering NIL opportunities to all 385 scholarship student-athletes at Purdue. The deals will be available in every sport and for both men and women.

It’s an unprecedented NIL development that rivals other teamwide deals as we’ve seen at Texas Tech, Marquette, Arkansas, Oklahoma State, SMU, BYU and other schools across the country. The move should quickly position the Boilermaker Alliance as one of the biggest players in the NIL space – in both men’s and women’s sports.

“This is a huge NIL development,” said Mit Winter, a sports attorney at Kansas City-based Kennyhertz Perry LLC. “There have been collectives that have offered deals to an entire team. But none have offered deals to every scholarship athlete at a school. I’d expect this to give Purdue a boost in recruiting, especially for sports other than football and basketball where collective deals have been limited.”

Drew Brees: ‘I believe in the mission’

Drew Brees agrees this is huge news for Purdue.

“I believe in the mission of Boilermaker Alliance and what we are trying to accomplish in developing character and future leaders amongst our student-athletes,” Brees said over email. “We will empower all 385 of them to make an impact. Not just here in West Lafayette. But all over the world.

“Boilermaker Alliance will also provide all our amazing coaches the resources they need to compete for championships. We aim to set the standard so other universities can look to Purdue and model their programs after ours, but also use this as an opportunity to help develop leaders of character and do things the right way.”

Boilermaker Alliance president Jeff McKean said adding Brees to the executive board gives the collective further credibility. It also provides name recognition in the NIL space. But it’s the collective’s offer to every student-athlete at Purdue that is a game-changer.

“We are honored to have Drew on our board, as we consider him the most well-qualified person nationally to help lead a name-image-likeness organization for any university,” McKean said. “He is the perfect fit for Boilermaker Alliance. We are confident his presence will amplify the reputation of our organization.

“This is a new age in collegiate athletics. We know our expansion to all 385 student-athletes on scholarship is unprecedented. We aim to be a leader in this space for years to come.”

Boilermaker Alliance working on signing student-athletes

As part of its new initiative, the Boilermaker Alliance is already actively and aggressively securing agreements with Purdue student-athletes.

On Monday, the collective announced it signed a NIL agreement with Zach Edey, one of the top returning college basketball players in the nation. Edey is a preseason All-Big Ten selection and potential first-round NBA draft pick. Edey – a 7-foot-3, 290-pound originally from Toronto – averaged 14.4 points in the 2021-2021 season. He helped the Boilermakers reach the Sweet 16 of the NCA Tournament.

Sources told On3 that The Boilermaker Alliance is working to ensure the NIL deals are fair to the Purdue players – especially female student-athletes. While other collectives are cherry-picking one or two female athletes, the Boilermaker Alliance is offering deals to every athlete at Purdue based on brand, market value, and other factors. Furthermore, the collective anticipates a long list of teamwide deal announcements in the coming weeks and months.

Drew Brees not only big name getting involved

Having Drew Brees on the Boilermaker Alliance’s executive board is huge from a star power standpoint. But sources have indicated to On3 that Brees isn’t going to be just a name on a website. He plans to be involved, raise funds and has a legitimate desire to help steer the organization actively.

But he’s not the only familiar face joining the Boilermaker Alliance. In addition to the expansion announcement, Boilermaker Alliance says its advisory board now includes some of the most recognizable names in Purdue athletics:

• Akin Ayodele
• Rapheal Davis
• Jim Everett
• Nick Hardwick
• Robbie Hummel
• Matt Light
• Cuonzo Martin
• Shaun Phillips
• Pete Quinn
• Bobby Riddell
• Adam Schenk

In his role as an executive board member, Brees will also chair the advisory board.

Boilermaker Alliance has charity focus

On Sunday, the collective announced it’s been officially designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) public charity.  The move to become a public charity by Boilermaker Alliance is becoming more common across the country, even though some NIL and tax experts warn of potential complications with the IRS. Yet, those in the Purdue community are excited about the Boilermaker Alliance’s charity focus.

“Boilermaker Alliance is one more example of the Purdue community doing things the right way,” said former Purdue basketball player and current Detroit Piston Jaden Ivey. “Their charitable focus will set an example that others across the country will hopefully follow. It makes me proud to be a Boiler.”

Additionally, Boilermaker Alliance is actively working with nonprofit organizations across Indiana and the country. The collective says its goal is for student-athletes to hone their passions and choose an organization that best suits them.

“Boilermaker Alliance is already making such an impact on local nonprofits, including mine, the Crew Life Basketball Foundation,” said Davis, Crew Life founder and former Boilermaker basketball player. “Our recent fundraiser doubled in size and tripled our year-over-year profits all thanks to the work of this organization and our esteemed Purdue student-athletes. The way they are using NIL for good is ahead of its time and I’m proud to be part of it.”