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Today’s Case

Utah NIL group gifts Dodge Ram 1500 trucks to all 85 scholarship football players

On Wednesday, brand-new Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn trucks rolled onto Utah’s Rice-Eccles Stadium field in a surprise presentation for the Utes football team.

That’s when they learned the news: They’re getting a truck.

In one of the most unique and lucrative arrangements of the NIL era to date, the Crimson Collective (NIL group supporting Utah athletics), presented a truck to each of the football team’s 85 scholarship members.

Funded by collective donations, the trucks will be leased to each player as part of individual six-month contracts that are expected to roll over contingent on a player’s eligibility and enrollment at the university. Leases end when a player’s eligibility expires or they choose to transfer. The collective will also cover the insurance for each truck.

The Ken Garff Automotive Group, one of the country’s largest auto dealers, facilitated the deal with a host of Utah donors from the Crimson Collective. The collective made the announcement Wednesday as part of a new partnership with the collegiate streaming application For The Win 360 (FTW360), a hub for all Utah athletics content, featuring scores, summaries, game highlights, behind-the-scenes stories, news and interviews. The surprise presentation at Rice-Eccles Stadium was live-streamed on the app. Additionally, FTW360’s branding is plastered on the vehicles in an advertising wrap.

The Verdict

• Team deals are not new; however, this is 1 of 1

  • NIL deals involving supplements or merchandise for teams is one thing; however, offering vehicles to scholarship players (and for football, with several dozen scholarship athletes per team) is very impressive.

    • Additionally, the combination of a large number of people to execute this partnership and the large sum of money from donors is no small feat.

• FTW360’s involvement should not be understated

  • With all the hype focusing on the trucks (and rightfully so), the partnership with the organization is significant, as they create content specifically for Utah athletics.

    • This provides a good opportunity for content creation with the football players and their trucks, and can also potentially create more live content in addition to streaming this announcement on their service.

• Recruiting tool

  • Utah football will most certainly be using this as a recruiting tactic (as they should)

    • Will high school seniors and transfers play for the Utes solely to drive a Dodge Ram 1500 truck? Highly unlikely - but it could certainly sway some decisions.

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