Drew Butler details what is coming with name, image and likeness
Former UGA punter Drew Butler joins Dayne Young to do a deep dive into upcoming college football changes in regard to name, image, and likeness. With NIL laws in place and active this summer, Butler shares how his job at Icon Source is in place to help players manage their endorsement contracts and profiles. He details how he thinks NIL will impact college football and shares his take on the 2021 Georgia Bulldogs.
Icon Source says it helps athletes facilitate their name, image, and likeness promotions, while also protecting the athletes and university athletic departments.
For full quotes and context, listen or watch the entire interview with Drew Butler. Here are some excerpts.
How is your work at Icon Source preparing for the changes coming with name, image, and likeness?
Butler: “What is most important with name, image, and likeness is getting these kids paid the right way. It's really exciting, and we've gotten tons of good reception from the student-athletes at Georgia.”
What do fans need to know about these changes?
Butler: “This isn't the universities paying student-athletes on top of their scholarships. The money has to stay out of the universities—it cannot flow through universities. These are brands engaging directly with student-athletes and compensating them for their name, image, and likeness. They need a place to do that right way. That's where Icon Source provides a lot of value.”
How would this have benefitted you if NIL had been in place while you were playing at Georgia?
Butler: “Would I have gotten some opportunity? I think so. I had some success in college; I won a couple of awards. Maybe there was something in that realm with my dad (Kevin Butler). My podcast co-host on “Punt and Pass,” Aaron Murray, would have made hundreds of thousands of dollars. There's no doubt about it. A guy I talk to about Icon Source a lot is Keith Marshall; he'd have made hundreds of thousands of dollars. “Gurshall"—how marketable were Todd (Gurley) and Keith? How good were they? That's a perfect case study for the positive effects of this NIL rule change. Keith could have made significant amounts of money in college. Obviously, he got injured. His NFL career didn't pan out the way he thought it would. He'd have had a good financial head start. He earned it because of how good he played.”
What level of money are we talking about with NIL?
Butler: “There are roughly 460,000 student-athletes in the NCAA. If one half of one percent—2,300 kids in America in all sports—make $100,000 a year, that's over $200 million. We feel like that's pretty conservative. I think Joe Burrow might have made a million dollars his senior year. You're talking about guys who will blow that $100,000 mark way out of the water. You're talking about athletes like Matthew Boling on the UGA track team who have 200,000 Instagram followers. You're looking at gymnasts who will be competing in the Olympics and back on campus this summer with massive marketability.”
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