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Illinois basketball unveils NIL Impact initiative to help Illini student-athletes

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Illinois basketball announced Friday the creation of NIL Impact, a program “designed to galvanize support for student-athlete name, image and likeness (NIL) activities.”

According to the release, a key support mechanism of the program will be Illini Guardians, a third-party entity designed to support student-athletes. Those interested can contact the program and get set up to work directly with student-athletes.

“The past several years of college athletics have been characterized by intense change and widespread disruption. Whether arising from the COVID-19 pandemic, conference realignment, governance conversations, or changes to transfer regulations, Illinois has consistently attempted to convert disruption into opportunity,” said Director of Athletics Josh Whitman. “NIL has introduced a new paradigm across the country, and our NIL Impact campaign presents another chance for Illinois Athletics to assert itself as a leader and create sustained success.”

“NIL has now become a game of resources, and the Illinois fan base has stronger resources than anyone in the country. If we can win NIL, we can win championships,” said head men’s basketball coach Brad Underwood.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.