UCF’s NIL collective sees growth but envisions more in Big 12

It’s been 10 months since SJ Tuohy moved into his new role as executive director of The Kingdom NIL, a collective geared toward supporting UCF athletes through their name, image and likeness.

In that short time, the university transitioned from the American Athletic Conference to the Big 12 in July, opening the doors for a new world of opportunities on and off the field.

For the Kingdom, founded in 2022 by UCF alum and booster Tom McNamara, those possibilities have led to tremendous growth.

“The good thing about the Big 12 and the good thing about UCF is that we’ve pushed the boundary on a lot of stuff,” Tuohy told the Sentinel via phone. “There’s no finish line with the Kingdom or NIL. The more money you raise, the better players you get, the higher the expectations will become and then it starts over.”

It’s also come with its own challenges.

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“It may take a minute to get our heads above water and understand what it’s going to take to hang in this league, and once you realize where you stand and what it takes you can start trying to be competitive and get ahead,” added Tuohy.

While collectives are not new to the college landscape, organizations such as Kingdom play a much more significant role in athletics. Athletic directors find themselves asking donors not only for funding for facility upgrades and department budgets but also to show support for the school’s NIL initiatives.

AD Terry Mohajir hasn’t seen that be an issue at UCF.

“Our fundraising is at an all-time high,” he recently told the Sentinel. “Our annual fund is at an all-time high, our major gifts are at an all-time high, but now, we have more people giving to the NIL. So, it hasn’t affected our ability to generate more revenue.

“We do have some resources going to NIL, as…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/ucf-nil-collective-sees-growth-120000620.html

Author : Orlando Sentinel

Publish date : 2024-01-22 12:00:00

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