One of the main drivers pushing decision-making at all levels in recent years has been name, image and likeness deals, which have given collegiate athletes a way to profit off themselves.

The NIL revolution came about due to the fact that college athletes had to overhaul their lives as well as present themselves as professionals while not reaping any of the benefits that the schools do. It has become a way for the athletes to see some of the output of the hard work that they put in to present their school in a positive light.

Among others, Oregon has spearheaded this NIL revolution, as it has very strong connections to Nike and many charitable alumni. Their goal is to provide Oregon’s athletes with the top opportunities to make a profit off of their name and navigate certain parts of the professional world before they get there. In return, many of these athletes continue to partner with alumni-ran businesses as they move forward into their professional careers. 

They do this using a collective —  an organization, usually run by alumni of the university or former athletes, that is committed to facilitating sponsorships for the university’s athletes and to promote the athletes’ platforms. 

Nike co-founder Phil Knight, along with some Oregon alumni, founded a collective called Division Street in 2021. Division Street is a combined pool of some of the best minds in sports business, marketing, sponsorship and more whose goal it is to empower Oregon’s athletes to do more with their NIL.

One of the ways that they accomplished this is through the release of their apparel brand, Ducks of a Feather.

Ducks of a Feather is a clothing brand that is modeled by Oregon athletes and offers participating athletes the chance to profit off of merchandise they help design and model. Those involved include quarterback Bo Nix, offensive lineman Ajani Cornelius, inside linebacker Jamal Hill and even head coach Dan Lanning.

Another collective founded by Oregon alumni is Ducks Rising. Founded by Andrew Parmentier, Ducks Rising is a subscription service that fans can pay for which gives them access to exclusive interviews and conversation opportunities with athletes, all of which directly supports NIL deals. The collective uses this platform to provide NIL contracts and charitable opportunities to the athletes, which results in the vast majority of the profit going to the athletes.

Much of the football team is involved with Ducks Rising, including Nix, Patrick Herbert, Tez Johnson, Jackson Powers-Johnson, Jeffrey Bassa and more.

Oregon has much to offer when it comes to the NIL landscape, with four of its players featured  in On3’s NIL 100 rankings. Nix ranks No. 8 with a valuation of $1.5 million, Bucky Irving No. 31 with a valuation of $862,000, Ajani Cornelius No. 69 with a valuation of $659,000 and Troy Franklin No. 80 with a valuation of $631,000.

A promotion that included many of Oregon’s roster was through Jacksons Food Stores, a convenience store chain with 58 locations across the state. Jacksons teamed up with Oregon football to produce officially licensed and designed trading cards featuring Ducks football players. They also offered autographed and numbered cards for one in every 10 packs.

Nix has also started a collaboration with 7-Eleven called the “Cleat Crew” that features nine of the nation’s best college football players. Each player has teamed up with luxury shoe designer The Shoe Surgeon to design a pair of cleats to be auctioned off at various times, with the proceeds going to the charity of the player’s choice.

Nix decided to direct his proceeds to PeaceHealth’s Sacred Heart hospital here in Eugene. He also teamed up with Kendall Auto Group, a group whose ambassadors include former Oregon quarterbacks Marcus Mariota and Justin Herbert. Nix is working specifically with the Eugene branch, and in return he gets a brand new Toyota SUV, according to On3.

The star quarterback also inked deals with Subway, Bose, Bojangles and Candy Digital. 

Whether a star player or not, Oregon has become one of the most beneficial places for players to promote their name and profit off the work they put in for the university every day. The NIL landscape is still new to many, so it will be exciting to see how Ducks continue to use the school’s platform to help promote their own image.