Western Kentucky NIL Store releases Big Red merchandise

Western Kentucky will be paying homage to its mascot in Tuesday night’s game.

The Hilltoppers are set to wear helmets with a Big Red decal against Liberty. Each position group will have its own Big Red decal – the quarterbacks will have the mascot throwing the ball while defensive backs will feature Big Red celebrating a pass breakup.

The unique helmet design has already gone viral. But Western Kentucky fans will be able to purchase merchandise with each different logo while giving back to the Hilltoppers’ NIL program.

The Western Kentucky NIL Store run by Campus Ink released apparel from T-shirts to sweatshirts Friday with the different versions of Big Red. Sean Ellenby, who runs marketing for Campus Ink, told On3 that WKU’s assistant athletes director for NIL Collin Stoecker told the company about the upcoming game.

From there Campus Ink worked on creating a campaign that could tie together the helmet decals with NIL. The product of the work is the Big Red NIL collection. Each player from a designated position group will take an even slit of total payouts based on their position.

Ellenby said he expects this to turn into a fun competition, as position groups will compete to sell the most merchandise. On the Western Kentucky NIL Store, each athlete has a profile with the correct Big Red logo on their page. No matter what, the athletes will benefit themselves.

In addition to the logos based on position groups, WKU has added a new bumper to the front of the helmet with Big Red’s eyes.

WKU’s NIL campaign shows power of licensed apparel

For athletes who may not have the largest social media followings or NIL deals, this is a major opportunity to drive some attention and build out their brand. Plus, brand deals have become such popular activations in the NIL era, that creating unique, licensed apparel has been a win for athletes.

Campus Ink’s website says the company has 35 school licenses. The company recently launched an NIL Store at Ohio State, but this Western Kentucky campaign highlights what they can do at all levels of college sports.

WKU players will pocket between $6 to $15 on every sale of the shirts. The Hilltoppers are 4-3 with a 2-1 record in Conference USA. Kickoff for Tuesday night’s game is slated for 7:30 p.m. ET. Liberty is off to a 7-0 star in Year 1 under Jamey Chadwell.