Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) is still a novel concept in college sports, but one that has created a massive impact on literally every school in the nation. The nature of that effect and the type of lens that it is viewed through unequivocally depends on whether you’re talking to a player, a coach, a fan, or even a sponsoring business. Any acceptance of the NIL concept is usually overshadowed by disapproval, and it may be hard for many college sports followers and members of various coaching staffs to truly see positivity in this aspect that has, in many cases, led to significant roster turnover.
The effects of NIL were responsible in many cases for key players transferring out of Arizona State in the last two years. And even following a dreary 3-9 campaign last year, there were certainly some players ASU didn’t want to see leave, knowing that they were vital for the Sun Devils’ efforts to bounce back under first-year head coach Kenny Dillingham.
So, when Sun Devil quarterback Trenton Bourguet happened to meet Jones Auto Centers General Manager Parker Jones during an ASU basketball game last December, the landscape for an NIL deal began to take shape although the end result of the process was different than the initial potential direction this transaction was heading to.
“I sat by Parker Jones and his family, and he’s a big, big ASU fan who just wants to give back to the players,” Bourguet recalled. “He was talking about a possible NIL deal, maybe setting something up with a car. I was fortunate enough to get a new car from my parents during the season and wasn’t in need of a car. So, he said, ‘Well, if you could get me in contact with some guys you think are worthy of getting a NIL deal, let me know.
“This was a few weeks after Coach Dillingham was hired, and I wanted to keep some of the guys that I knew were going to be a big part of this year’s success. Knowing what (tight end) Jalin Conyers and (wide receiver) Elijhah Badger did last year at ASU, how well they played, and just knowing them as human beings, and I thought they’ve earned it.”
Case in point, that tandem of players combined for 1,288 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in 2022, with the ASU signal caller being on the passing end for most of those statistical figures.
Jones was no stranger to NIL deals with ASU players, and in previous years former Arizona State quarterbacks Jayden Daniels and Emory Jones also had a car through a NIL agreement. And since Jones wasn’t necessarily determined to strike a deal with Bourguet as well, he was naturally open to hearing what the Sun Devil quarterback had to say on the matter.
“Bourguet told me, ‘We got to do something for Conyers and Badger,’” Jones said. “I didn’t know how much of an exodus was going to take place with the regime change, so I wanted to do a NIL deal that was going to make an impact where I could potentially help the program, and I wanted to create a special moment for somebody. Trenton was thinking about what would be in the program’s best interest. He knew Badger and Conyers could use vehicles, and we knew we had to keep those guys here. That was basically the approach from Trenton, and then that became the focus.
“These two guys are going to be prolific studs on the offense, so how cool would it be to have both of those guys in our vehicles? They are such nice young men, a breath of fresh air, and have such a good head on their shoulders. They are great players; they represent the university well and are nice young men who also fit our brand and are players we would like to support.”
While Conyers said that he was exploring some NIL deals last year and knew that, based on his performance, he would probably enter into a NIL partnership with a business, he admitted that he wasn’t expecting one that would include a car.
“I assumed that after the season Trenton had and what he was able to do coming in a bad situation and making the best of it that he was going to get a car deal,” Conyers stated. “So, it was a super cool thing for him to do, helping Elijhah and me with that (NIL) deal. He has a super nice car, and he took the opportunity to be as selfless and just a leader in general and to do that. He obviously deserves everything he gets, but he said, ‘Jalin and Elijhah need cars, and I’d like to help with that.’ That’s the type of person that Trenton is, and I’m thankful for him and Parker Jones being able to coordinate on that.”
The NIL in and of itself has created challenges, but that facet, combined with the transfer portal, has predictably formed an environment where recruiting and tampering are rampant. Proven Pac-12 players such as Conyers and Badger were certainly in high demand by other Power Five programs, which only created that much more of a sense of urgency for Bourguet to keep his top aerial targets in Tempe and for Jones to ink a deal with arguably the two most impactful players on the entire 2023 roster.
“I know that players and coaches from other schools were talking to them about entering the portal and visiting,” Bourguet remarked. “I knew I had to do everything in my power to get them to stay. I didn’t play the whole year, but I gave everyone a sneak peek of what I could with them in the last six games. So, I wanted to make sure that I took care of my guys. And I’m happy I was the middleman between Jalin, Elijhah, and Parker Jones. And I’m trying to get deals for other players. I’m trying to get some deals where I can take the offensive linemen out to eat each week.”
Conyers noted that while he’s not oblivious to the fact that players such as him and Badger will try to be lured into the portal with NIL promises, his attitude on the subject may be less common, yet also one that is favorable for his current team.
“Personally, my motto is that if I do what I’m supposed to, in college football, and just in life, in general, I’m gonna get paid,” Conyers said. “So that’s my perspective. My goal is to go to the NFL, and my thought process is that I don’t necessarily need a NIL deal. If I do what I’m supposed to do, I’m gonna make it in the NFL.
“Obviously, you’d be stupid to turn down some of the NIL offers I’m getting, and I’m not going to turn down the opportunity to get to drive a super cool car and promote a business that wants to get more recognition that I’m able to bring to them. At the end of the day, I’m at ASU because I want to be at ASU. I didn’t want to leave for money, and I wasn’t gonna leave for money. Because of that decision, I’m able to get some benefits for that, which is wonderful.”
Jones laid out his philosophy for which players he’d like to enter into a NIL partnership with, a viewpoint that offers its own significant aspects and pragmatic rationale.
“I realized that the best thing for us with the NIL deals is doing a deal with an upperclassman or a surefire, first or second or third-round draft pick type of performer to make a deal with them,” Jones explained. “If they get hurt, or they underperform, or if they decide that they want to transfer, we don’t have to have the uncomfortable conversation where we have to pull back the partnership. We want to try and target players with one year of eligibility left or players who we anticipate are going to be NFL draft picks after this current season.
“We are partnering with four players (offensive lineman Aaron Frost and defensive lineman BJ Green being the other two), and with maybe the exception of BJ, I don’t expect those players to be in uniform next year. And the way that the partnership is written is if they put their name in the portal if they represent the university or their own brand in a negative light, we have the ability to immediately rescind the vehicle. So, there are some protections in there so that guys are going to want to act right. And that’s the other part of it, get a guy who, if he puts together a nice stretch of film, and even if he’s a borderline guy who has the potential to be a late-round draft pick, you know that he doesn’t want to get his nose in trouble. He wants to stay on the straight and narrow.
“We’re trying to make sure that we identify the right guys for a NIL deal, who are also the guys that we want to reward because they’re leaders of the program. That’s how we figure out who will be a partner for us.”
When they do socialize with their teammates, both Conyers and Bourguet said that NIL is not a topic that dominates the conversation as it relates specifically to ASU players but rather in the context of other schools and how it may affect their recruiting efforts.
“We’re more focused on the goal at hand, hanging out and having a good time,” Conyers commented. “If it comes down to talking about football, we’re talking about what we want to do during the season. We’re not really talking about the money and the NIL aspect. The NIL has its way with college football, with players going to a certain school and getting an amount of money for doing that, making the most money they’ve ever seen in their lives. That’s how college football works now. But when we’re kicking it, we’re having a good time. We’re not necessarily worried about NIL money or stuff like that.”
“If NIL does come up, I try to make sure we’re all on the same page,” Bourguet added. “It’s not, ‘Hey, how much are you making? Or how much are you getting?’ Because once you do that, that’s when you’re gonna have some heat between players. It’s not always going to be fair because life’s not fair. We make sure that we focus on being a team and not worrying about the whole money aspect. Obviously, it’s tough because college is expensive for a lot of people. Yes, people get scholarships, but with those stipend checks, you got to pay for rent and food, and for some people, this (stipend check) is all they got.
“So, when NIL comes up, I tell guys, ‘Let’s win this season, and let’s see how much more money comes in through the Sun Angel Collective, and it’ll take care of all this.’ Coach Dillingham is a perfect example of somebody who knows the landscape of college football. He’s been at other universities and knows how these programs were running. He has also done a great job of networking, not only himself to the community by going to all the sporting events and community events but also by allowing us players to express ourselves in interviews which helps our networking. Coach Dillingham has mentioned to the leadership players about how he wants us to have that power to speak out about our team and everything that’s going on. It’s super beneficial for these businesses to see our faces, hear our voices, and know, ‘Okay, this is a kid I want to make an NIL deal with.’
“Parker Jones is a great example of using my networking skills that I had been working on in the last couple of years and connecting myself with these people and those people with my teammates. It’s beneficial for freshmen coming into ASU and even prospects to see the players super interactive with their community. I think it’s special and the start of something that’s really going to blow up in the future.”
Going into his third year of a NIL partnership with ASU’s star players is an endeavor that an avid Sun Devil fan such as Parker Jones hopes will continue for many years. Aside from the natural satisfaction he receives from supporting players on his favorite team, he’s also proud that the specific deals that he does ink do greatly aid the retention of Arizona State standouts, enhancing the potential success rate.
“We’re still the only car dealership to partner with the athletes,” Jones said. “I’m not going to throw shade at any of the other dealerships, but a lot of other dealers have turned down opportunities to actually put their money where their mouth is, so to speak, and support the athletes. I take a lot of pride in directly partnering with the athletes. Most of my Instagram followers are athletes, so I do think that there is some name recognition for our willingness to partner in a NIL vehicle agreement with the athletes. And I hope that Sun Devil fans would want to do business with us because they see how we are actually taking care of the ASU players.
“Since we did the NIL deal with Conyers and Badger, our business has really taken off in the last few months. As you can tell, I’m a diehard Sun Devil, and I would like nothing more than to make sure that Sun Devil fans are being taken care of in their automotive shopping. In this business, it’s hard to find people that you can trust. But thanks to the word-of-mouth experience of our customers, we’ve shown to provide great service, and I’m happy to give out my personal cell phone to anyone who wants the Sun Devil fan experience.
“The more business we can generate from these NIL efforts, the more we can grow and continue our contributions to support for ASU football players. So even if Sun Devil fans feel like they can’t contribute in a different way, by doing business with us instead of some other car dealer, they’re gonna enable us to continue to assist the football program.”
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