NIL consultancy Altius to introduce general manager program at six partner universities

The GIST: Incoming freshmen won’t be the only campus newcomers this fall. In a move that could spell out the future of name, image and likeness (NIL), Altius Sports Partners — an NIL consulting and client agency — will be sending NIL general managers (GMs) to six partner universities. Top of the class.

The company: Altius is a fitting partner for schools — the young consultancy was created to specialize in the NIL landscape. It currently advises nearly half the institutions in the Power Five and has inked deals with 30 athletic departments, including Auburn University and the University of Texas.

The details: As announced on Monday, the consultancy will vet and dispatch GMs to Cincinnati, LSU, Northwestern, Oklahoma State, South Carolina and Virginia. Altius may be tailoring the role to each school’s needs, but all on-campus GMs will lead NIL verticals within each athletic department to aid athletes, as well as coaches and staff.

• Despite the wide-ranging role, Altius said the new GM program will not replace similar programs like its traditional advisory services, instead describing it as “additive.”

The trend: The new GMs join a growing contingent of in-house officials tasked with making athletes bank. Duke made the first-of-its-kind move in June when it tapped former Nike exec Rachel Baker to lead NIL action for the men’s basketball team, while LSU hired Jennifer Roberts this month in a similar role for its women’s hoopers.

• Learfield, a college sports fan engagement consultancy, created Allied+ in June, a program that also sends NIL sales experts to college campuses. The project launched with Ohio State, Oklahoma and the University of Alabama at Birmingham as initial participants. Howdy, partner.

Zooming out: The first year of NIL saw athletes cashing in while schools paced themselves to understand state regulations in the new marketplace. With most U.S. states now allowing athletes to ink deals, schools aren’t shying away from making deals of their own to help fill up recruits’ bank accounts. No sophomore slump here.