Virginia Tech Athletics is going the extra mile for student-athletes to secure the bag when it comes to monetizing their name, image, and likeness (NIL).
VTA has announced a new collaboration with INFLCR, a software platform for elite athletics to track and deliver content in their network. This partnership would make NIL deals more accessible to student-athletes through their Hokies Exchange platform, which connects students to businesses, per a press release.
After a business registers and is approved for Hokies Exchange, they will be placed into a database available for student-athletes to connect with organizations. Organizations will be able to filter and make selections on student-athletes based on chosen specifications.
Per director of athletics Whit Babcock, three NIL collectives consisting of Commonwealth NIL, Hot Route Marketing, LLC, and Triumph NIL, LLC, have extended their services to Virginia Tech student-athletes, businesses, and donors.
Let’s go! Another one of our 200+ NCAA D1 partners is adding their very own @INFLCR+ Local Exchange — Meet the Virginia Tech Hokies Exchange — where any business, individual, collective, etc. can register to find, message, pay and report NIL transactions with Va Tech #Ath1etes https://t.co/rT3uz22p0G
— Jim Cavale (@jimcavale) March 3, 2022
“I’m thrilled that Virginia Tech and our administration have provided our athletes with numerous opportunities in the NIL space,” Virginia Tech women’s basketball head coach Kenny Brooks said, according to the press release. “From education and the Hokies Exchange platform to these new NIL collectives, we are doing everything that we can to ensure our student-athletes have the resources to make informed decisions and have the confidence to approach NIL opportunities in a manner that will benefit them. Our mission is to support student-athletes in all of their endeavors on and off the court. This is another step in the right direction for our department and I’m delighted to see this put together with our athletes in mind.”
Additionally, the school revealed on Thursday that financial aid will be awarded to those in good academic standing.
“We are pleased to be able to offer this financial incentive for our student-athletes to make the type of academic progress that will benefit them for years to come after graduation,” Babcock said. “We are currently finalizing our criteria for this program and plan to roll out the details to student-athletes, their families and our coaching staffs this summer. We anticipate beginning this financial reward package beginning in Fall 2022. Thanks to the tremendous success of our Drive for 25 campaign and the generosity of our Hokie Club donors, we intend to be very competitive in this space to ensure Virginia Tech remains a very attractive destination for the nation’s top student-athletes.”