Rutgers athletics adds NJ native, ex-Monmouth lacrosse player to spearhead NIL opportunities
Rutgers athletics is adding a North Jersey native to spearhead more Name, Image and Likeness opportunities for its athletes.
Reed Zak, a Wyckoff native who played lacrosse at Monmouth University, has been named general manager in charge of the department’s NIL efforts, Rutgers announced Thursday.
The appointment comes after Rutgers worked with Altius Sports Partners (ASP) on a nationwide search to identify candidates.
ASP will train, assist and oversee Zak’s role.
Zak was a sales manager for REVELxp the last two years, where he directed hospitality sales at Arizona State, Colorado State and Air Force football games. He previously worked at Learfield IMG College in partnership services on the campus of Providence College.
In his new role, Zak will work with Rutgers to “heighten the student-athlete experience by conceptualizing and coordinating programming and resources,” Rutgers said in a statement.
"As a New Jersey native, it's an honor and privilege for me to work alongside Rutgers Athletics," Zak said in a statement. "The tri-state region offers abundant NIL opportunities for Scarlet Knight student-athletes, and the entire Rutgers team acknowledges the advantage this provides in maintaining competitiveness within the Big Ten. Drawing from my background as a student-athlete with professional experience in corporate partnerships, I understand how to connect athletes and brands. I'm excited to utilize Altius’s resources to enhance the services accessible to all Rutgers stakeholders."
Rutgers is one of 13 athletic departments participating in ASP's program, which "offers customized education and guidance on national issues related to NIL, ensuring student-athletes have the best opportunities."
Zak’s appointment comes at a critical time for Rutgers as NIL has become a center of the college sports world, in many ways dictating player movement and retention.
Rutgers currently has two collectives – Knights of the Raritan and The Knight Society – that work to forge NIL deals for athletes.
Greg Schiano: NIL has changed my job 'immensely'
Raising enough funds to compete with other schools across the country has remained challenging.
Football coach Greg Schiano said last month that NIL has changed his job “immensely” as he works to generate NIL support so he can keep his roster intact as much as possible.
“I’ve also learned that if you don’t like it, really you have two choices: Either change it or change the way you think about it,” Schiano said. “So I’ve changed the way I think about it and I’ve changed the way I do my job, because that’s what necessary right now."
Rutgers’ hope is that having an NIL general manager on campus, every day can help drive greater opportunities for programs across the entire athletics department.
“With so many potential partners in the New York Metropolitan area,” athletic director Pat Hobbs said in a statement, “it was important to have someone focused every day on promoting Rutgers Athletics and the incredible student-athletes who compete for us.”
This article originally appeared on NorthJersey.com: Rutgers athletics adds Reed Zak as NIL general manager
