Newsstand: Former Notre Dame RB Mick Assaf named one of 25 most influential figures in NIL space
Former Notre Dame walk-on running back Mick Assaf has become an important figure in creating NIL opportunities for Irish players since he left the program two years ago. He was behind the first NIL deals Notre Dame student-athletes signed last July. In early 2022, he started the Irish Players Club, which began its efforts with NFT sales.
Assaf’s ventures have expanded beyond Notre Dame and generated significant traction nationally. Thursday, On3 named him one of its 25 most influential figures in the NIL space.
Assaf is the co-founder of YOKE, which describes itself as “the premier company providing technology for athletes to build community and receive equitable compensation for their name, image, and likeness.” It supports player-driven communities like the Irish Players Club at more than 40 schools, per On3 NIL reporter Andy Wittry.
“Each player who joins a club equally shares 82% of the club’s revenue,” Wittry wrote. “The players in each club vote on whether they want a revenue model based on the sale of access passes or donations. The clubs have had varying levels of financial success, ranging from the Norman NIL Club, where Oklahoma fans have contributed more than $26,000 of the monthly goal of $50,000, to the Irish Players Club, which has raised less than $2,000 from Notre Dame fans.
“The formation of clubs at schools such as BYU and Georgia led to pushback from others in the school’s ecosystem. YOKE’s initial 25% platform fee drew attention for being higher than industry standards but it has decreased as the platform’s scale has increased. Even with the ups and downs, there’s little question that YOKE and Assaf have had a significant impact on NIL. That impact should continue into the future, too.”
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Those efforts began with helping his former Notre Dame teammates. Shortly after midnight on July 1, 2021, several Notre Dame student-athletes announced they were partnering with YOKE Gaming, a platform Assaf started that allowed fans to pay to play video games against players.
The Irish Players Club launched in February and sold more than 5,000 NFTs in the spring. Proceeds were split among participating players. It now has a premium message board, teases “player content coming soon” and encourages website visitors to “financially support 100+ Notre Dame football players and join the ultimate fan experience.”
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