At Penn State and everywhere else, college football is as different and unique as it’s ever been in the sports entire existence. The transfer portal and NIL collectives rule the day and are the driving forces behind building successful rosters.
Amateurism is all but a formality at this point, although colleges and universities don’t directly pay their student-athletes to play on the field. That’s where Name, Image, and Likeness collectives come in. Boosters donate and raise money to attract top-tier talent and maintain star players with brand and endorsement deals.
Like it or not, it’s the new era of college football… and it’s not going away anytime soon if ever at all.
Thanks to a vibrant community and passionate fanbase, Penn State owns one of the largest alumni bases and support systems in the country. Head coach James Franklin is looking to take advantage. Happy Valley United is the partnering NIL collective of Penn State athletics and launched the Retain The Roar Campaign with a goal of raising $500,000 for PSU NIL.
Franklin said the goal is for Penn State to make its roster “the best it can possibly be” in 2024 and “compete for championships while doing it the right why.”
He stated how a strong NIL program is vital to being a top program in the current CFB landscape.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.🚨 PSA from @coachjfranklin
We need your help Nittany Nation!
We are just over 25% of our goal with the Retain The Roar Campaign…
But we need ALL of the Penn State Family to get us across the Finish Line 😤
Let’s show them who #WEARE 🦁
DONATE 👉 https://t.co/c9spxpak4n pic.twitter.com/teZDX3SkNf
— State Media (@StateMediaPSU) May 16, 2024
“I truely appreciate your support and everything our fans do for our program. We Are,” Franklin said to close the promotional video.
As of Thursday night, Retain The Roar has raised over $144,000, 28% of its goal.
“The first $50,000 raised through Retain The Roar will be matched thanks to a contribution from former Penn State football player and current Nashville real estate developer Brad Bars, who committed financially to ensure the Nittany Lions win the spring transfer portal window.” Fans can donate to Retain The Roar here.
