What TJ Beisner taking over North Carolina basketball's NIL operations means for Tar Heels, Kentucky

TJ Beisner has left his role as the Kentucky basketball director of player personnel to run NIL operations at North Carolina, On3 confirmed.

CBS’s Matt Norlander was the first to report the news on Monday.

Known as the Wildcats’ de facto general manager, Beisner handled plenty of roles for John Calipari. He has been around the program for the last five years. But in the last two seasons, Beisner’s role in helping Kentucky manage name, image and likeness can’t be underscored.

While there have been some bumps at Kentucky in the NIL space, a source told On3 Beisner played a crucial role in assisting Oscar Tshiebwe to navigate NIL. Due to student visa restrictions, international athletes cannot work while studying and playing in the U.S. Beisner was able to guide Tshiebwe through that hurdle as the National Player of the Year cashed in during his final year in Lexington.

That expertise obviously impressed North Carolina and Hubert Davis enough to make a move.

What this means for Kentucky’s NIL operations?

When he was hired in August 2021, UK called him “the first college basketball staff member in the country to oversee the program’s name, image and likeness strategy and execution.” The new trend in college basketball now appears to have a general manager, where someone can run NIL operations and manage the transfer portal and roster retention.

It appears Beisner did all of that for Kentucky and more. In a note posted on X, Calipari referred to his former confidant as his “trusted lieutenant.” A number of Kentucky basketball players have succeeded in the NIL Era, with Tshiebwe leading the way.

But there have been some eye-catching deals, too, including last season’s team-wide agreement with Morgan & Morgan, America’s largest injury firm and longtime partner of UK Athletics. Jacob Toppin also appeared in a commercial for AT&T.

KSR’s Jack Pilgrim reported in June on the forming of The LaFamilia Club, an NIL collective focused on Kentucky basketball. Sources have told On3 Beisner’s departure will not impact the organization moving forward.

Beisner’s role as a fundraiser shouldn’t be underscored either. According to his bio on Kentucky’s website, he assisted in the creation and implementation of two telethons that raised more than $9 million for Kentucky residents who were victims of flooding and tornadoes.

He also played a major reason why Kentucky was picked as one of the six Nike schools to be named a Mamba program for this upcoming season. He developed a strong relationship with the Mamba and Mambacita Sports Foundation.

What we know about TJ Beisner’s role at UNC

As of now, TJ Beisner will not be on Hubert Davis’ North Carolina staff, a source told On3. Instead of being the program’s general manager, he will serve as the executive director of Tri-Cord Management, the collective backed by the UNC athletic department solely dedicated to men’s basketball.

A source told On3 this will not impact the Heels4Life collective, which operates with the primary goal of servicing NIL for North Carolina football. Hiring a full-time executive director who knows the NIL and college basketball space well is a signal of how seriously the Tar Heels are taking the role, though.

Kentucky finished with the No. 1 recruiting class in 2023. North Carolina is currently positioned at No. 1 in 2024, adding Beisner should only help those efforts.

The NIL collective scene has always been competitive in football but basketball is now catching up. Multiple collective sources have indicated to On3 that a typical Power 5 budget in hoops ranges between $1 million to $2.5 million, but it truly depends on how many athletes on the roster are under contract.