The NIL landscape is changing annually. Athletes at the University of Tennessee are embracing the change as new opportunities connect them with brands, fans and businesses.
By Jude Hensley
The University of Tennessee has progressively integrated NIL into Tennessee Athletics.
The Vol Network is Tennessee’s exclusive multimedia rights holder and is the middleman connecting Tennessee athletes with brands looking to create NIL partnerships and reach the volunteer fan base. Tennessee’s website states that the Vol Network offers direct brand opportunities through personal appearances, content collaborations and endorsement campaigns.
An NIL deal at Tennessee expands further than appearing in one singular piece of content. The business side of NIL has grown to include athletes in several different engagements, whether on social media, in brand promotions or in sponsored content.
The NIL ‘carwash’
An example of NIL expansion is the production day Tennessee held this summer.
The Associated Press reported that Tennessee football players engaged in a production operation where athletes were involved in photo shoots, video production and other promotional activities for brands.
The concept mirrors professional media production: athletes participate, brands provide campaigns, and production teams create content that can be used across several platforms.
“We wanted to do what frankly a lot of professional leagues have been doing for years and professionalize it with the NIL and everything that was happening on campus,” Director of Content at Learfield Grant Jones said.
NIL by the numbers
Opendorse projects the NIL market to be $4.5 billion for the 2026 academic year.
In July and August, the College Sports Commission/AP cleared $227 million worth of NIL deals for college athletes. This amount covered more than 7,600 deals, showing the growing scale of NIL in college athletics. Most of this money was accumulated from associated entities or organizations close to the universities.
These numbers show the financial importance of NIL in college athletics and how it has exponentially exploded in a minuscule amount of time. The projections and deals that have already been closed demonstrate that NIL is a monumental step for college athletics, shaping the way universities and athletes operate.
NIL across Tennessee sports
The NIL operation has been prominent for Tennessee football for years, but the model extends to all Tennessee athletics.
A Learfield report found that female athlete participation in NIL activities increased 123% during the 2025-26 fiscal year. Solly Fulp, Learfield’s head of NIL, said the shift to women’s athletics has been effective in telling stories for brands and creating content.
“It’s awesome for us to see when it comes to not just the focus being on football, men’s basketball and the revenue sports, but seeing the Olympic sports really step front and center,” Fulp said.
NIL is expanding at an exponential rate, and opportunities are arising across a wide range of sports.
Axle Logistics is partnering with Tennessee’s men’s and women’s basketball teams, becoming the programs’ first official jersey patch. The five-year agreement will include athlete marketing initiatives designed to help build their brands and gain business experience. The debate over whether NIL is helping the culture of college football becomes more significant when considering how it helps student-athletes advance their careers.
Rocky Top’s NIL operation
Guidelines and rules are also changing along with diverse opportunities. All Tennessee athletes are required to report qualifying NIL deals through a platform called NIL Go. This platform helps regulate and disclose NIL agreements between athletes and corporations. According to Tennessee Athletics, any compensation over $600 must be reported. Returning athletes also have a timeline of five business days to submit required documents for their deals.
NIL has now become the bridge connecting athletes and companies. College athletes can now run their own businesses, and NIL provides them the opportunity to become active participants in the marketing process. This enables athletes to push themselves on and off the field by building their personal brands and making connections with organizations.
The Vol Network’s ability to connect athletes, companies and fans creates another layer of business outside of sports. The expansion of NIL has granted college athletes an advantage by allowing them to build their futures and gain business experience.