A few days ago, the Co-founder of Conquest Collective (a third-party collective for the USC Trojans), Jeff McKay, joined our USC LAFB Show to talk all the ins and outs of NIL, and where the Trojans currently stand.
The conversation covered a myriad of topics and, ultimately (watch the full episode here), it looks like NIL at USC is certainly heading in the right direction. But there was a small detail in the interview that could truly unlock the NIL potential at SC and get the program out of some of the difficulties that they have faced recently, which have ultimately led to transfers and decommitments.
On the show, McKay discussed the reasoning for Conquest Collective choosing the For-Profit model.
The for-profit model, I personally believe is a better way to go because it gives you way more flexibility on the types of deals you can structure with potential players. So how they’re, you know, meaning fewer appearances for more money upfront, kind of like an NFL contract, to be honest. So I, I think that is appealing to, like I said, those high-profile guys. That seems to be the way a lot of other schools are doing it, that are, you know, doing a really good job, at least on the NIL front.
But more than anything, like I said, I think it’s really beneficial to be able to have some flexibility in how you structure contracts for some of these really, truly elite guys who have plenty of other schools offering them a ton of cash. So being able to be competitive in that front, but also structure in a way where it’s not them having to do 50 different appearances, you know, to get paid in smaller increments. That, in my opinion, is not what some of these kids really are after, and not what other schools are doing. So, yeah.
Watch the clip here:
What Does This Mean For USC Trojans NIL
This is really interesting because House of Victory, the pseudo-face of USC NIL, is of the non-profit model. So they will be a bit more hamstrung in how they structure deals for players, and a multitude of appearances will be required in order to get paid.
So USC and School X could be offering the exact same amount of money, but the USC offer will come with some stipulations and X amount of player appearances. It sounds like many other schools, especially the big hitters, are not structuring deals like this. This could certainly be where a problem arises and when a collective like Conquest can have a much greater impact.
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In an age of what has become free agency in college athletics, simplicity in deal structure is key. If the USC Trojans want to ensure that they lock up and retain the top players in the country, this is one small intricacy that could go a long way.
Money is not an issue anymore. USC has the funds, and House of Victory has done a tremendous job in fundraising. Now they just need to bring everything together and figure out the best way to structure deals so that players can focus on playing and coaches can focus on coaching and recruiting. Conquest Collective may be the key.