Ahead of the 2023 college football season, several Clemson Tigers football players have joined forces with the TigerImpact NIL Collective to help make a positive community impact. They join a number of the program’s student-athletes in helping elevate the profile of charities that are close to their heart.
Tiger Impact NIL Collective Creating Opportunity for Clemson Players to Make Community Impact
Established as Name, Image, and Likeness, the legislation changed the established order of the college football world. The TigerImpact NIL Collective was created as a way of harnessing students’ power of earning via NIL and using it to give them a platform to help benefit those in need.
There is a misconception that NIL has made college football players greedy, chasing offers from programs that put them in the best position to make as much money as possible. It has proven divisive between fans, media, and college football coaches alike, with some believing that it is ruining college football.
However, dig behind the surface of headline-making quotes and eye-raising reported single-deal dollars, and you’ll find NIL being used to build mutually beneficial relationships, to raise and allocate funds for those that need it most. NIL is helping student-athletes to actualize projects that they only ever dreamed of in their pursuit of giving back to the communities that raised them.
TigerImpact NIL exists to help Clemson student-athletes, including college football players, weaponize their marketing influence and social media reach to benefit charities close to their heart.
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“TigerImpact was born out of Clemson’s culture of caring,” states the collective’s website. “Our mission is to develop Clemson student-athletes and positively impact others through community charities. We carry out this mission by engaging donors to fund student-athletes who we work with to promote underserved charities.”
The collective runs on donations, with over $8 million donated since its inception. Through their work with Clemson student-athletes, they’ve actively engaged with over 150 charities. Ahead of the 2023 college football campaign, TigerImpact has signed eight more players to their roster of impact-making talent.
Safety R.J. Mickens recently announced that he will work with Rise Adaptive Sports, a non-profit that gives people with disabilities the opportunity to play sports. Meanwhile, center Will Putnam used TigerImpact NIL to raise awareness of the Green Beret Foundation.
Linebackers Wade Woodaz (YMCA) and Barrett Carter (Our Friend Christopher) joined positional teammate Jeremiah Trotter as part of the TigerImpact NIL collective this spring. Trotter has used the platform afforded to him to support Breast Cancer Awareness via Susan G. Komen.
Toriano Pride Jr., Antonio Williams, Blake Miller, and DeMonte Capehart also joined TigerImpact NIL this off-season. WR Williams is another Clemson player supporting the YMCA via the collective, while cornerback Pride has partnered with Brothers Restoring Urban Hope, a program that helps students find success regardless of their circumstance or upbringing.
The TigerImpact NIL Collective is helping Clemson players raise awareness and impact the lives of a wide subsection of society. Nose tackle Capehart works with the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Pee Dee Area to provide summer programs for kids.
The latest additions to the TigerImpact NIL collective join a long list of Clemson student-athletes who are using their platform to positively impact the communities around them and the charities close to their heart.
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In an article for “The NIL Deal”, star running back Will Shipley expressed his thoughts on how the collective has helped him support Levine Children’s Hospital.
“TigerImpact allows me to engage with my social media followers and get them to really align with what I believe and feel. I’m not only engaging with my followers, but they’re able to now connect with something bigger than just my social media.”
“That’s what TigerImpact has allowed me to do. Put the word out and get more people to know more about the charities we work with.”
In its infancy, NIL has been misunderstood and misconstrued.
However, the changes in legislation have allowed student-athletes to make a more significant impact than purely on the field. As collectives like TigerImpact seek to help student-athletes maximize the positive community opportunities available to them, there might be a perception change from even the most fierce NIL opponents.
