KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Spyre Sports, a sports marketing collective in Knoxville, said it has generated $4.5 million in revenue for UT athletes, through Name, Image, and Likeness deals.
"Those might be birthday parties, a youth football camp, Christmas parties, meet and greets, and so forth," said Hunter Baddour, the co-founder of Spyre.
Last year, Tennessee passed an NIL law allowing college athletes in the state to profit during college to coincide with changes made by the NCAA. Previously, that was not allowed.
Athletes said they don't have enough time to get a job outside of the commitments they have between classes and sports.
"From the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep, you're really on the go from one thing to the next," said Josiah-Jordan James, a UT basketball player. "Any type of money is good money for us."
James said through events, trading cards, billboards and restaurant deals, he is able to bring in more than $50,000 a year.
Brandon Spurlock from Spyre said athletes can earn anything from a free meal to $500,000 per year, depending on the athlete.
James said he can get free meals from restaurants for making an Instagram post for himself and his teammates.
Jaida Thomas is a Lady Vol soccer player. She said, at first, she was reluctant to get into the NIL space, but she said now, it's been a blessing.
"You're only in college once," Thomas said. "Might as well try to take advantage of it while you can."
Spyre Sports said they facilitate the sponsorship deals for the athletes and take 10% for their operations and overhead.
"It's important, it's here, and it's not going anywhere," said Brandon Spurlock.