Recognizing dire need, Lions Legacy Club launches to bolster Penn State NIL support

Michael Mauti has always had a keen understanding of the needs of the Penn State football program. The former Nittany Lion linebacker and captain of the storied 2012 team grasped them as a college student. Now, a decade later, that sense remains sharp.

So when returning to campus in the summer of 2021 for the annual charity golf tournament held by teammate Nate Stupar, something in Mauti activated again.

An environment engulfed at the time by the advent of name, image, and likeness legislation, one that would open a broad landscape of opportunity to Penn State football players and every other program across the country, Mauti wanted to know where the Nittany Lions stood. A meteor of change that would create distinct competitive advantages or disadvantages throughout college football, the issue was of paramount importance. 

And, in Mauti’s view, Penn State’s infrastructure for NIL was coming up short.

“We saw what was being done at Penn State, which was really no plan. It just wasn’t a priority. You could just get that sense,” Mauti said. “We thought, ‘Who do we need to get together here to at least come up with a plan? Who do we call? We have all the resources in the world. This is Penn State. What are we doing about it?’”

Earlier this week, a collection of former Penn State football lettermen revealed just what that is. Partnering with former walk-on quarterback Chris Ganter and All-American running back Ki-Jana Carter, the trio has launched Lions Legacy Club. 

Self-described as “a fan-driven and alumni-led Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) program for Penn State University student-athletes, alumni, and fans,” the collective is seeking to “maximize opportunities for student-athletes to build their brand and earn compensation.”

And, importantly, this time it is an effort solely devoted to Penn State football.

Penn State football’s NIL landscape

While Success with Honor, Happy Valley Talent, and Nittany Commonwealth were already in the collective space at Penn State, Ganter said he recognized a need for football specifically. In the time since the idea’s formation, Happy Valley Talent has since been absorbed by Success with Honor and Nittany Commonwealth has changed its name to the We Are NIL Collective. 

But in formulating the Lions Legacy Club, the former walk-on quarterback for the Nittany Lions was determined to devote resources and strategy strictly to Penn State football.

“I knew from the jump that there needed to be a football-only thing,” Ganter said. “It’s great that the other sports at Penn State, the other athletes, have something and are being taken care of. They absolutely should be. 

“But, football is a different beast. Doing something for 850 student-athletes is a massive undertaking, as it is even for the Penn State football roster. So I think we all knew that there needs to be a football-only thing from the get-go.”

Joining Ganter to build and promote Lions Legacy Club, Carter similarly recognized the program’s glaring need for more NIL support. 

Pairing with Rob Sine, a Penn State alumnus and the co-founder of Blueprint Sports, Carter said his work and Ganter’s would make for a natural fit. Wanting to compete with Ohio State, Alabama, Georgia, Clemson, and the rest of the country’s top college football programs, he said sitting on the sidelines couldn’t happen when it came to NIL and Penn State. 

“In the end, it is really about our program,” Carter said. “I’m diehard Penn State. I love my university, and I always have. The thing with having former Lettermen involved with this is, we’re caring about our school. 

“There are no other agendas out there that we’re looking for besides making sure our program is getting first-class treatment and our university is getting the same. We’re gonna put all our efforts in to help build in this.”

Next steps

Setting a goal to build a sustainable, responsible model to recruit and retain talent, all fitting into the footprint of Penn State football’s legacy, Mauti said the next steps are clear, exciting, and humbling for Lions Legacy Club. 

“It’s a huge opportunity. It’s a huge responsibility,” Mauti said of the effort. “You have to pay players. This is a business now. These are the rules. Everyone else is doing it. 

“You can’t win a car race around a Formula One track towing a U-Haul. That’s kind of like where we were at. And that’s not where anybody wants to be. So this is the most proactive approach. Chris and Ki-Jana have put together a team that has a proven model and the structure is there. Its ability to expand and scale is really what the program needs to be fully supported.”

Wanting to be a part of the effort providing that support, Mauti’s place as a former Penn State player, and his moment in the program’s history, inform his perspective on the issue.

Once needing to rally a fractured Penn State community, the position again shares overlapping qualities. And in his efforts behind Lions Legacy Club, Mauti is determined to bring people together yet again. 

“We can all be on the same page here. With our influence, we have the resources in this alumni network and around the world. We have access to the most competent people that are at the highest levels. Why not be able to connect all that into an ecosystem? One to where it’s mutually beneficial that we’re connecting to everybody that way?” Mauti said. “So I think we got to take that Grand Experiment into the modern era. Who better to do it than the guys that have lived it and are of a product of it?”