How to Get an NIL Deal as a College Athlete in Utah

Getting an NIL deal as a college athlete in Utah is no longer a mystery reserved for five-star recruits. It is a repeatable process: build an audience worth paying attention to, connect with the right channel, agree on terms, and file the paperwork that keeps you eligible. This guide walks through that process step by step in the post-2025 revenue-sharing era. If you are new to the topic, start with our explainer on what NIL is — this article picks up where that one leaves off and focuses on the how.

How do college athletes get NIL deals?

Most NIL deals come together the same way. An athlete builds a following, connects with a collective or an online marketplace, agrees on terms with a brand or booster, and then reports the deal so their school and the new national enforcement body can confirm it is legitimate. Here is the six-step version, localized for athletes at BYU, Utah, Utah State, and every other program in the state.

1. Understand the current rules. The ground shifted in 2025. The House v. NCAA settlement launched direct school revenue sharing — capped near $20.5 million per school for 2025-26 — on top of the third-party endorsement deals athletes have signed since 2021. Just as important for you, any third-party NIL deal worth $600 or more must now be submitted to a national clearinghouse called NIL Go, operated in partnership with Deloitte, which checks whether the deal reflects fair market value rather than a disguised recruiting payment. Read what NIL is first so you understand both tracks — school pay and outside deals — before you chase either.

2. Build your brand and audience. Brands and collectives pay for attention and authenticity, not just athletic stardom. Pick one or two platforms, post consistently, and lean into what makes you specific: your sport, your hometown, your major, your personality. Reply to comments, show behind-the-scenes work, and keep your bio and contact info current so a business can find you. A focused local following of a few thousand engaged Utahns is often more valuable to a Provo or Logan business than a huge but scattered national audience.

3. Find opportunities. The two main channels are NIL collectives and online marketplaces. Collectives are fan- and booster-funded groups tied to a program that pool money to strike deals with its athletes. Marketplaces such as Opendorse and INFLCR (by Teamworks) connect athletes with brands, handle payments, and increasingly manage the compliance workflow your athletic department requires. Many Utah athletes are already listed on our Utah NIL athletes hub, and you can build your own public profile through Beehive Athletes' get-featured page or browse the athlete marketplace.

4. Pitch local Utah businesses. You do not have to wait to be discovered. Some of the most reliable deals come from local restaurants, gyms, car dealerships, and family-owned shops that want a recognizable face from a nearby campus. Reach out with a short, professional message: who you are, your following and engagement, and one concrete idea for how you would promote them. Offer a clear deliverable — three Instagram posts, an appearance, a discount code — rather than asking vaguely for a sponsorship.

5. Evaluate and negotiate the offer. Read every deal before you sign. Confirm exactly what you owe (how many posts, what usage rights, how long), what you will be paid and when, and whether it locks you out of competitors. Do not undersell recurring or exclusive commitments, and remember that NIL income is taxable self-employment income — see our guide to how NIL is taxed before you spend it. If anything is unclear, ask your school's compliance office; that is what they are there for.

6. Disclose and report the deal — then stay compliant. This is the step athletes skip at their peril. Division I athletes must submit third-party deals of $600 or more to the NIL Go clearinghouse, generally within five business days of agreeing to terms. Most submissions are cleared within about a day, returning one of three results: cleared, not cleared, or more information needed. The penalty for failing to report is ineligibility, so treat disclosure as part of the deal itself, not an afterthought — and follow your school's own rules on restricted categories like gambling and alcohol.

Can you get an NIL deal without being a star player?

Yes — and this is the most common misconception. The vast majority of NIL money does not go to the handful of headliners like BYU's No. 1 overall NBA pick AJ Dybantsa; it flows in smaller deals to ordinary rostered athletes. A gymnast with a loyal Instagram audience, a volleyball player who runs summer clinics, or an offensive lineman doing an ad for a hometown auto shop can all earn. Local businesses in particular prize "micro-influencers" — athletes with a modest but highly engaged, geographically concentrated following — because that audience actually walks into their store. If you compete for a Utah school and put in the work on your brand and your outreach, you are eligible to earn, regardless of whether you start.

How do you find NIL opportunities?

Work all three channels at once. First, get on a marketplace: create a profile on the platform your school uses (often Opendorse or INFLCR) so brands and your collective can find and pay you. Second, engage your school's collective directly — introduce yourself, tell them what you can offer, and ask how deals are distributed; collectives moved close to $20 million to athletes in a single day through Opendorse when revenue sharing began in mid-2025, so the money running through these channels is real. Third, prospect locally: make a short list of Utah businesses that fit your brand and pitch them yourself. Then make yourself easy to hire — a clean public profile on our get-featured page or the marketplace means a business that wants a Beehive State athlete can reach you in one click.

Key facts:

• The process: Build an audience, join a marketplace or collective, pitch local businesses, negotiate the terms, and report the deal — in that order.
• Main channels: NIL collectives (booster-funded groups tied to your program) and marketplaces such as Opendorse and INFLCR by Teamworks, which handle discovery, payment, and compliance.
• You don't have to be a star: Most NIL money flows in small local and micro-influencer deals to ordinary rostered athletes, not just headliners.
• Reporting is mandatory: Division I athletes must submit third-party deals of $600 or more to the NIL Go clearinghouse (run with Deloitte) within about five business days; failure to disclose can cost your eligibility.
• Utah context: BYU and Utah (Big 12) and Utah State (Pac-12 as of 2026) all operate under the same national rules and the ~$20.5 million-per-school revenue-sharing cap for 2025-26.