USC Quarterbacks Shine at House of Victory QBU NIL Event

Roughly two months after its official launch, NIL collective House of Victory gathered some of the biggest names in USC football history Monday night for a QB U event at VEA Newport Beach.

The evening featured a cocktail hour, dinner and four panels hosted by former USC quarterbacks and media personalities. It stressed the importance of building a strong and lasting NIL program that benefitted USC student-athletes and provided the 200 or so Trojan fans in attendance a peek into the lives of some USC standouts.

All-American and 1988 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner Rodney Peete served as emcee of the event.

Paul McDonald, Gordon Adams, Carson Palmer, John David Booty, Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, Cody Kessler, Max Browne, Caleb Williams, Jake Jensen, Miller Moss and Malachi Nelson. Matt Leinart wasn’t able to attend but recorded a video message for all in attendance, which was played during the event.

There were other notable names in attendance as well, including running back Anthony Davis, fullback Brandon Hancock, offensive tackle Matt Kalil, long snapper Jake Olson and swimmer Kaitlin Sandeno, a four-time Olympic medalist.

Stressing the Importance of NIL at USC

USC fans don’t need to be told that an NIL program benefitting the Trojans has been slow to develop. It was mentioned multiple times on Monday night how many hoops House of Victory needed to maneuver through in order to truly begin operating.

But what was also stressed is that no group and program in the country can overcome the nearly yearlong head start enjoyed by other schools as quickly as USC and the Trojan Family.

Peete, as part of his opening statement to the crowd, called NIL a “new frontier,” and added, “This is where the family is needed.”

The program closed with former Colorado quarterback and college football personality Joel Klatt asking questions of four USC head coaches: football’s Lincoln Riley, men’s basketball’s Andy Enfield, women’s basketball’s Lindsay Gottlieb and women’s beach volleyball’s Dain Blanton.

Each shared thoughts about how impactful NIL dollars are to their student-athletes, and by extension, their programs.

Explaining NIL

With so much confusion still surrounding NIL, several panelists made efforts to explain both the importance of NIL, but also in the simplest terms, how NIL works.

Each of the players in attendance received compensation for attending the event as an appearance fee. That’s no different than what professionals do when they show up to a sponsorship event. And it’s something that was previously against NCAA rules.

Through House of Victory, student-athletes are compensated for work or responsibilities performed. It can be a public appearance such as this one, or spending a day at a local Boys and Girls Club. There are many ways players can receive NIL dollars. And with the NIL program attempting to provide for more than 200 USC student-athletes, the fundraising goal is immediate and significant.

QB U Panels

USC fans and donors in attendance got a treat with the four panels conducted throughout the event. They all included some heartfelt stories, poignant moments and humorous one-liners.

Peete opened things when he introduced those in attendance and made special mention of Davis, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame. Peete joked (maybe) that Davis wondered what was going on with USC – always known as Tailback U – being spotlighted at an event called QB U.

“Times change,” Peete said with a smile.

Mark Sanchez delivered one of the best lines of the night while he was interviewing the two Heisman winners in attendance – Palmer and Williams.

Palmer was speaking about the spotlight on you at USC and in Los Angeles and how all the successes and failures were magnified.

“Try New York,” Sanchez said.

Former USC assistant and Pac-12 Network Analyst Yogi Roth moderated a panel with USC’s four current scholarship quarterbacks. Williams, Moss, Jensen and Nelson all spoke about how close the room is, echoing a common theme during the night of needing to fund NIL programs while maintaining cohesive locker rooms and team-first players.

Paul McDonald spoke with Cody Kessler and Matt Barkley about playing the quarterback position and making the transition to the NFL. Barkley is entering what will count as his 11th professional season. Kessler has gotten into the media side of things with The Victory Podcast and continues to work as a quarterback coach.

Next House of Victory Event

The next major House of Victory event where USC fans and donors can meet some Trojan legends and current players is July 14 at the Big Man Luncheon.

Shaun Cody, Sam Baker and Frostee Rucker will lead the way there. And a big contingent of big men are scheduled to appear. That includes Justin Dedich, Jonah Monheim, Elijah Paige, Mason Murphy, Michael Tarquin, Jarrett Kingston and Emmanuel Pregnon on the offense line. Defensive linemen Bear Alexander, Anthony Lucas, Jamil Muhammad, Kyon Barrs and Jack Sullivan will be in attendance.

100% of proceeds support USC student-athlete NIL opportunities.