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the public with $25 tickets going toward 1890’s fundraising total was one such ex- ample of cooperation. Speaking at Big Ten Media Days in July, Rhule showed his support for Nebraska’s NIL setup while adding that the Huskers have “a long way to go” in order to compete financially with the nation’s top programs. “We’re blessed at Nebraska; we have a great setup with 1890,” Rhule said. “Tom and Shawn Peed have really stood in the gap and provided us with a lot at a time when we don’t have it. But make no mistake, we’re not at the level of those guys; we’ve got a long way to go.” Alongside Schott on the 1890 team are president Matt Davison and vice president Joe Selig, who primarily focus on fundrais- ing. Veronica Cucci works with the collec- tive’s charitable partners and ensures play- ers fulfill the terms of their contract, while the newly hired Kyle Fisher, who spent the 2023 season as a recruiting assistant for the Nebraska football team, has joined on to work directly with the athletes. “He’s helping on the recruiting side, so if we need to talk about NIL, he’s helping out with that,” Schott said of Fisher. “He’s been on the job for three weeks now and it’s already paying dividends.” One area of pride for 1890 is the collec- tive’s focus on looking out for the well- being of its student-athletes. According to Schott, the collective edu- cates players upfront about taxes and ba- sic financial literacy before they sign any contracts. For athletes who are interested in investing funds, 1890 is able to connect them with financial advisors outside of the organization. Unlike other collectives nationally, 1890 also withholds taxes on behalf of the play- ers to ensure they don’t fall behind or ne- glect that area of financial responsibility. “A lot of these kids, you know, they’re 18, 19, 20 years old, so they don’t know about withholding taxes, and when their taxes come due in April, the last thing we want
NU SPRING GAME, 4.27
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Nebraska’s Dante Dowdell (left) celebrates his 49- yard touchdown with Barret Liebentritt in third quarter during the Red-White Spring Game, Saturday, April 27, 2024, at Memorial Stadium. KENNETH FERRIERA PHOTOS , JOURNAL STAR FILE
compliance with rules requiring payments to be handled by third-party sources. NIL collectives quickly began popping up all over the country, sometimes with multiple organizations seeking to support the same school. At Nebraska, Athletic Branding & Marketing (ABM) worked as the school’s primary collective prior to the launch of the 1890 Initiative, which later absorbed ABM in 2022. The 1890 Initiative has led the charge ever since, and was named Nebraska’s of- ficial NIL collective in early July. “The needs of the collective have con- tinued to scale and grow as we’ve brought on more athletes and higher-profile ath- letes who have agents involved,” 1890 CEO Carson Schott told the Journal Star. “The fundraising needs have grown with these partnerships and as we’ve taken on more sports.” The primary focus for 1890 is the foot- ball program, though athletes on the men’s basketball, women’s basketball, volleyball and softball teams have also received NIL compensation. According to Schott, 1890 currently has roughly 150 athletes con- tracted to NIL deals. “It’s not just all about the big-money guys,” Schott said. “It takes 100 guys on the football team, it takes 10 guys on the basketball teams and it takes a number of athletes in these sports to have these NIL deals in order to make successful teams.” A former Nebraska football player in the early 2000s, Schott joined the collec- tive from Sandhills Global with the goal of scaling and growing 1890’s NIL opera- tion. Crucially important in doing so has been the presence of athletic director Troy Dannen and Rhule, who have worked both publicly and privately to support 1890’s fundraising efforts. An August practice that was opened to
them to be stuck with is a big tax liability,” Schott said. Thanks to its position as the univer- sity’s official NIL collective, and the close working relationships 1890 holds with the Athletic Department and the Huskers Ath- letic Fund, any ground-breaking changes to Nebraska’s NIL operation appear unlikely. The system that they operate within, however, continues to grow and evolve as further legal judgments and NCAA rule changes are passed down. A recent settle- ment approved by both the nation’s top athletic conferences and the NCAA will al- low schools to directly compensate players in addition to any third-party NIL deals. Whether or not 1890 retains control over the finances of Nebraska’s NIL program, Schott feels the collective is ready to adapt and evolve as needed. “If it’s us being a supplement to what the university provides with (revenue) share, if it’s us becoming more of a marketing agency and helping drive these NIL op-
portunities in the future, or whatever the case may be, I think we’re positioned well,” Schott said. “It’s really hard to kind of see through the fog and see where this is all going to be in another year. But, as long as we have great cooperation with the university, I think we’ll be able to pivot and be able to provide the support that we need for them.” Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola throws a pass in the second quarter during the Red-White Spring Game last April.
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