Clemson football: NIL the Clemson way – The path less traveled

If you’ve perused Twitter in the last year or so you’d think Clemson football players are not allowed to sign NIL deals or participate in “profiting” from their name, image and likeness once those floodgates were opened.

While many colleges and boosters took NIL as a free for all way to “buy” a championship, Clemson seemingly sat on the sidelines feeling their way through the morass of agents, boosters, hangers on and those after a quick buck in the NIL game

I’m not saying that’s necessarily wrong.  A teenager can be paid millions to play tennis, golf or soccer, so why not football?  Good for them.

But that’s not for everybody, others choose a different path and for those of us who attended Clemson we like to think Clemson is different.

To that end, the way Clemson and their players are attacking NIL is different than the vast number of colleges and athletes.

Yes, there are Clemson players with your more typical NIL deals with tee shirts, fast food restaurants, jewelry outlets and car dealerships.

But there’s also TigerImpact, which describes itself this way:

"A purpose-driven NIL Collective developing Clemson student athletes to positively impact others through community charities."

It’s quite refreshing after some of the things we’ve seen this summer.

Will Shipley has partnered with a Children’s Hospital, Xavier Thomas a Boys and Girls Club, while Beaux Collins works with a children’s home and sponsors his nephew’s youth sports endeavors.

I’m guessing Clemson players aren’t the only players to partner with charities and children, but they seem to be the only players emphasizing and promoting it, at least on Social Media.

Clemson has probably lost some recruits because the NIL deals weren’t big enough or with the right brand and they’ll probably lose more down the line.

I’m OK with that.

Under Dabo Swinney Clemson has always recruited differently.

I put “profiting” in quotes up top, because I believe the Clemson players are profiting, too.  Just not in the same way as most NIL recipients.

I would have never understood that at the age in which these decisions are being made by these young people and that’s impressive.

Many Tigers are taking the NIL path less traveled and they’ll be better for it in the long run, Lamborghini or not.