Cincinnati's NIL Department Named Best Institutional Program
From Gobearcats:
ATLANTA – The University of Cincinnati's NIL department took a seismic leap Saturday night as it was named the best institutional program at the third-annual NIL Summit.
UC topped fellow finalists Florida, Grand Canyon, Nebraska, Ohio State, Ole Miss, St. Joseph's and UCLA. Past winners include Michigan State (2023) and Boise State (2022).
"IMPACT (Cincinnati's NIL development program) is dedicated to equipping athletes with the education and resources they need to forge their own unique brands," Eddie Taylor, Assistant Director of NIL and Innovation, said. "Our athletes chose to develop their brands and put themselves out there, achieving excellence in the process. This award truly belongs to our student-athletes."
The Bearcats' contingent featured student-athletes Hampton Gucky (swimming and diving), Gabby Guenther (tennis), Evan Prater and Jalen Hunt (both football), as well as Taylor and Chad Allen, the Associate AD for Career Advancement and Leadership.
The Best Institutional Program award honors a college or institution that has shown exceptional commitment to supporting its student-athletes in maximizing their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities through a combination of education, resources and industry-leading innovation.
"Thank you to Eddie and the whole IMPACT team for showing how much NIL can impact me not only as a student-athlete, but for my future and building my brand," Gucky said.
Two primary landing spots for fans to partake in NIL activities include the Bearcats Exchange Marketplace, powered by INFLCR, and Rally House's Cincinnati NIL collection for player-specific apparel. The former includes an option to build a profile to connect with student-athletes for social media posts, personal greetings and more.
Cincinnati student-athletes, in addition to social media and brand-building training within the department, has seen strong support from major companies that include Fifth Third, altafiber and Medpace and TQL, among others.
Fans can also learn more about NIL opportunities at CincyReigns.org.