How an NIL initiative is making a difference for Ole Miss athletes — and Oxford families

OXFORD — When Ole Miss women's basketball beat Gonzaga in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on March 17, point guard Myah Taylor's parents boarded a plane home.

Her father had responsibilities at his car dealership, she said, and her mother was taking care of her grandfather, who was sick. The Taylor family simply couldn't block out several days to spend on the west coast, even with a matchup against top-seeded Stanford looming two days later.

Thanks to a name, image and likeness initiative organized by the Grove Collective through its partnership with a company called Wheels Up, which helps participating Ole Miss student-athletes and their families pay for travel through its partner, Delta, Taylor's parents were back on a plane in time to watch Taylor help the Rebels upset the Cardinals ‒ one of the most memorable wins in program history.

"At first, it was going to be very hard," Taylor said Monday morning. "They were able to get on a flight and then come right back after the game. Just having them there in the stands to experience what we did against Stanford was just amazing."

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In return for those airline credits, Ole Miss athletes engage in local philanthropy through the Meals Up Initiative, which has partnered with the Mid-South Food Bank.

Monday morning, several Ole Miss athletes gathered at Oxford's Pine Lake Church to distribute donated food to local families in need.

Among those in attendance were Taylor, football quarterback Jaxson Dart as well as baseball pitcher Hunter Elliott and outfielder TJ McCants – who delivered a walk-off single for the Rebels against Georgia on Sunday afternoon.

The items distributed included vegetables, fruit juice, cereal, salads and meats. The leftover items will be placed in Oxford food banks.

"I think any time that you're able to support those who are hungry, I think that's a really big deal," Dart said. "I also just think as athletes, the community is very supportive. I think it's very important for us to get outside of the walls of campus and the walls of your team and stuff like that, and really look out for others."

Walker Jones, a former Ole Miss football player who now serves as The Grove Collective's executive director, said that in conversations with Rebels athletes, he discovered that one of their main expenses was travel for themselves and their families. About 25 Ole Miss athletes are already receiving airline credits through this agreement, Jones said, and he expects that number to double.

"It's a cool opportunity for me," Dart said. "My family is all on the West Coast, so it's more difficult for them to get out here for games or practices or just to come see me in general. It's definitely beneficial."

As with anything NIL-related, the engagement serves as a valuable recruiting tool, too.

"It gives our coaches a great recruiting advantage, because they recruit nationally," Jones said.

"When you can combine a philanthropic opportunity, helping out the local food bank and solving a need there, along with solving a problem with travel for athletes, it was a win-win for us."

David Eckert covers Ole Miss for the Clarion Ledger. Email him at deckert@gannett.com or reach him on Twitter @davideckert98.

This article originally appeared on Mississippi Clarion Ledger: Ole Miss football's Jaxson Dart among athletes serving Oxford with NIL deal