‘Best Christmas gift ever’: What Utah’s newest NIL deal means for school and women’s sports

The Crimson Collective did its best Oprah Winfrey impersonation for another group of University of Utah student-athletes on Wednesday — “You get a car! You get a car! You get a car!”

The Collective, an independent NIL organization centered around NIL opportunities for Utes student-athletes, announced a vehicle lease deal for members of the women’s gymnastics and men’s and women’s basketball programs, just two months after it did the same for scholarship players on the football team.

Players learned about the deal Wednesday morning during a ceremony inside the Huntsman Center.

“If I could sum this up in one word, this looks like a perfect 10,” new Utah gymnastics coach Carly Dockendorf told an assembled crowd in the arena.

The details of Utah’s vehicle lease NIL deal

• Every student-athlete from those three sports — women’s gymnastics, and men’s and women’s basketball — will have the opportunity of receiving a free lease on either a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Edition or a 2024 Ram 1500 Big Horn Night Edition truck.

• This is different than the football NIL opportunity announced in October in a couple of ways — only scholarship football players were offered the opportunity, while this deal applies to all athletes on the gymnastics and men’s and women’s basketball teams. Also, football players only had the Dodge Truck as an option.

• Lease and insurance costs will be covered by donations to the Crimson Collective for each student-athlete.

• It’s a plan that’s been in the works for several months. Per a press release from the Collective, “Utah Crimson Collective put these plans in motion last spring to provide the student-athletes the opportunity for the vehicles in time for their respective seasons.”

What this means for women’s athletics

The fact that two of the teams involved in this latest NIL deal are women’s programs was not lost on those impacted by the deal.

Derek Mattsson, CEO of For The Win 360°, which helped broker the deal along with the Crimson Collective, called it “game-changing.”

“This historic offering is game-changing, particularly for women’s collegiate sports. Building off our success with Utes football, we’re setting a new standard by enhancing support and expanding opportunities in collegiate athletics, paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable environment for all student-athletes,” Mattsson said in a statement.

Two of the student-athletes who will be benefactors of the lease deal echoed similar sentiments.

“This is such a big deal for us women’s programs,” Utah senior basketball forward Dasia Young said. “It’s always been preached on social media, get women the credit that we deserve equally to the men and this is clearly showing how much the Crimson Collective and our athletic department love us. We’re equal here, which means a lot to us.”

Senior gymnast Alani Sabado said the deal helps “set a standard.”

“Having the support from the Crimson Collective not only within a male-dominant industry but with females, too, we set a standard now that women are supposed to be equal and do deserve that credibility,” she said.

Utah’s new gymnastics coach also spoke about what this moment means.

“It is pretty incredible that something of this magnitude is happening for the first time in the country at Utah,” Dockendorf said. “It just speaks of the excellence that we continue to see in all areas across campus in providing student-athletes nothing but the very best to be a student-athlete here at Utah.”

How players reacted to the NIL deal

Wednesday’s news was a surprise for members of the three programs who are a part of the newest NIL deal.

“I don’t think I ever would have seen this coming. When football got it, I was like, ‘Dang. They’re so lucky,” Young said. “... And then when this happened, I was like, ‘No way.’ This is like the best Christmas gift ever.”

The day that the football team’s NIL deal was announced in October, Utah men’s basketball senior Branden Carlson shared his own unfortunate car-related news on X, formerly known as Twitter, while throwing out a hopeful suggestion for his own deal.

“My tweet finally paid off a couple months ago. I’m gonna get that truck,” Carlson said Wednesday.

He added, “I’m super grateful to the Crimson Collective for getting this all together for us. This is a great opportunity. I think everyone was excited and looking forward to getting these cars.”

Here’s just a sampling of what an opportunity for an upgraded vehicle lease could mean for the student-athletes.

Carlson, who has been sharing a car with his wife said, “It’s gonna be nice not to have to do that now.”

Young has a Kia Rio from 2013 her mother got for her in high school. Sabado has been driving around a 1998 Ford Ranger — a vehicle she called “sturdy,” but now she’ll be getting “something a little more safer” on those snowy Utah roads.

“This is really going to help, because now I don’t have to worry about sliding in snow just to get to practice,” Young said.

The big question, though: Will players go with the truck, or the SUV?

Carlson said truck, while both Young and Sabado indicated they were leaning toward the Jeep.

“I don’t think I could park that truck,” Young joked.

What it could mean for recruiting

All three programs represent the winning culture that the Utes are striving to build on the hill.

Utah women’s gymnastics is one of the most consistent and top programs in the sport — the Red Rocks have advanced to the the NCAA championships 47 straight times.

Men’s basketball has been one of the more accomplished programs in the school’s history, and this season, the team is off to a 7-2 start and received votes in the most recent Associated Press rankings after beating then-No. 14 BYU.

Lynne Roberts has turned the women’s basketball program into one of the best in country — the Utes made the Sweet 16 last year and are 8-2 this season, while staying a top-15-ranked program throughout nonconference play.

“From a standpoint of recruiting the quality student-athletes that we do, the types of things are just huge,” Roberts said. “... This just shows what the University of Utah, this community is about. If we all want our teams to continue to be elite, and we are, these are things that just set us over the edge.”

When asked if the NIL deal could be seen more as a perk or a sway in the recruiting world, there was a consensus.

“I would think it’s definitely a sway. Utah has a lot of support like the Crimson Collective and just the university itself that it stands out and makes it a unique program and university to be at,” Sabado said.

Young agreed.

“Clearly, this is the best school in America. C’mon now. Nobody else is doing this. Big sway,” she said.