A Triumphant NIL era in Blacksburg: Triumph NIL's impact on Virginia Tech Sports

By Kyle Marchak

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) monetization gave us a version of college sports akin to the wild, wild West. NIL Sports Marketing Agencies and the NCAA are the only form of law. 

Until July of 2021, NCAA athletes could not curate profit off their own name, image, or likeness. In highly profitable college sports like college football, notable athletes such as Johnny Manziel, Reggie Bush, and Nico Lamaleava have either been defamed or faced legal ramifications for pursuing opportunities to profit off their own likeness – a freedom all consenting adults have outside of collegiate athletics.  

In 2021, that all changed, as the NCAA lifted any prohibitions on NIL deals for their athletes. This opened us up to a world where collegiate athletes now had incentive to go to certain schools based on how much NIL money they’re offered.  

For some schools this was a big change. Virginia Tech was no exception. A school whose athletics are driven by a lifelong love affair with their football program, the Virginia Tech Hokies’ football team had to adjust quickly to compete in recruiting with their well-funded conference mates (e.g. Clemson and Miami). 

This was an adjustment, especially for coaches of an older generation. Just last year, long-time Virginia men’s basketball coach Tony Bennett retired just before the season, citing the new age of NIL as a reason for his disdain for continuing to coach in today’s sports climate. 

With Triumph NIL, though, Virginia Tech hasn’t had this issue, changing with the times gracefully. Established in 2021, Triumph NIL struck a deal with Virginia Tech as the official sports marketing agency of Virginia Tech.  

They specialize in the approach of giving Hokie athletes financial freedom, while allowing them to make some sort of income – regardless of sport. Even Virginia Tech swimmers make a semesterly $1,000 stimulus. 

An example of the freedom Triumph NIL provides to Hokie Athletes lies within the personalities you can find on their football team.  

None are brighter than star wide receiver Ayden Greene.  

“I wouldn’t be here without NIL,” Greene proclaimed. 

The sophomore at Virginia Tech is one of eight children who grew up in an athletic family from Tennessee, making him a bright personality to say the least. 

In high school, Greene started a TikTok page highlighting his interests in football, fashion, and music. By the time he graduated high school, he’d amassed 25,000 followers, giving him a modest form of monetized income on the side.  

In the 2010’s, a bright personality like this would make no money off their own talents and interests. Now we have organizations that not only provide you with this money, but help you deal with the pressures of newfound wealth. 

“Triumph NIL helps me reach out to companies; they teach me how to manage my money...Triumph’s been a big success for what they do for me off the field.” 

Triumph empowers student-athletes not just financially, but spiritually. 

“Expressing who I am is important to me,” Greene said.  

It has been over 1,300 days since NIL was legalized, and with each passing day we see new ways athletes’ lives have changed with their new financial freedom. 

For higher-profile athletes, they even cite their college’s NIL money as a reason for why they chose NOT to go professional in their respective sport just yet. Virginia Tech’s Liz Kitley mentioned her NIL money at Virginia Tech being like a starting WNBA salary, prompting her to stay for a fifth year. 

For a younger player like Ayden Greene – whose professional hopes are not yet cemented – the ability to set himself up financially isn’t just temporary, but a long-term goal. 

“[Triumph NIL] is going to help me with real estate and help me develop a portfolio of property.”  

A family business for Greene, he wants to pursue what his family has done as a side hustle for years.  

With Triumph NIL, he has the power to buy and manage property. 

The cost of empowering a young man to pursue a family endeavor? Triumph NIL would argue that it’s priceless. 

Sources:

Borzello, J. (n.d.). Virginia’s Tony Bennett cites State of Game For Retirement. ESPN. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/41868376/uva-tony-bennett-cites-state-game-retirement 

Brock, T. (2024, December 30). College athletes’ average nil earnings shockingly low despite headline deals. NIL Daily On SI. https://www.si.com/fannation/name-image-likeness/nil-news/college-athlete-average-nil-earnings-shockingly-low-despite-headline-deals