By Mark Seavy  

As more general manager (GM) roles emerge in collegiate sports, licensing is playing a supporting role in attracting athletes to campuses. 

Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) licensing and endorsements are important tools for general managers building player rosters at the college level, just as they are for GMs in professional sports leagues. And while licensing typically remains outside the immediate responsibilities of the GM role and is managed by a separate staff, it is part of an overall package designed to attract top talent. 

The hiring of GMs picked up speed as colleges and universities moved in 2021 to comply with a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that required the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and states across the country to enact rules and laws that allowed student athletes to be paid for NIL use. And because the collegiate licensing teams are focused on the school’s and team’s brands, and not individual student athletes’ NIL, the responsibility for it fell to campus collectives (including alumni and boosters) and the athletes themselves.  

The collegiate GM role was cemented when the NCAA adopted rules in 2024 creating the transfer portal for athletes to switch schools and allowing colleges and universities to assist them with NIL, something that at first was prohibited. And it will likely be expanded with the recent settlement of three class action lawsuits (known collectively as the House settlement) that allow schools to pay players. It will set limits on how much each school can give athletes on an annual basis, starting at about $20.5 million in 2026. 

The position received a further boost when organizations like consulting firm Altius Sports Partners—which was acquired by Underdog & Co. in 2023—emerged to hire, train, and pay GMs. Since then, Altius has signed nearly 20 GMs, including one at the University of Michigan that calls for the firm to be paid $1.64 million over four years.   

USC hired GM Chad Bowden earlier this year and has NIL deals for videogames (Electronic Arts), trading cards (Panini), Funko Pop collectibles (women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins), and apparel like jerseys and t-shirts (Nike). USC licensing staff manages the agreement for the school’s trademarks, while the GM was responsible for NIL, said Matt Curran, Executive Director for Business Planning, Communications, and Trademarks at USC.   

Bowden has recruited several football players via the transfer portal (which opened for the spring on April 16th), including former University of Notre Dame safety Kennedy Urlacher and Penn State University linebacker Ta’Mere Robinson.  

“The GM roles are somewhat far removed from the core licensing business because they are focused on trying to find the right talent for what they need,” said Cory Moss, President of Brand Management and Marketing at Learfield, which represents colleges and universities for licensing. “But as they build rosters and go after significant talent, once they secure athletes, they are looking at what are the other opportunities that exist for them to round out their playing skills with business opportunities. It is about presenting a wholistic opportunity for the players and demonstrating how they can build the business side of their brand through licensing, sponsorship, and other agreements. We can pinpoint opportunities that can be part of a package.”  

While some schools are adding the GM position, others are combining the NIL responsibilities under other, existing positions. At the University of Georgia, for example, Senior Associate Athletic Director Steven Drummond was promoted to Deputy Athletic Director and Chief Marketing Officer with a focus on NIL. And University of Georgia’s Tanner Potts, Assistant Athletic Director of NIL and Strategic Initiatives, was named CEO of the school’s collective, Classic City Collective.   

“It an evolving business because some schools have specific roles and don’t need a GM because they have figured out how to do it in the roles of the recruiters and coaches that they already have,” a collegiate licensing executive said. “Those schools felt the way they recruited and organized themselves was fine. At other schools it can be a very sophisticated role while at others NIL is being done by assistant and head coaches as well as recruiters.”