Utah Utes football, basketball, gymnastics teams get new cars in NIL deal
A video of the Utah Utes football team dancing around in front of brand new trucks went viral.
But it wasn't a music video.
It was the latest NIL sensation.
In October, Crimson Collective, an organization dedicated to connecting Utes athletes to name, image and likeness deals emphasizing charity work, said it is leasing a Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn truck for each of the 85 scholarship players on the football team, per Yahoo Sports. The total value of the deal is more than $6 million.
Each truck is covered in a Utah-themed wrap with the school colors and an ad for the streaming app For The Win 360 (FTW360), which helped sponsor the deal. The presentation of the cars to the players was streamed on the app. The players were taken to Rice-Eccles Stadium where they were given the news of the gift and then shown a few of the trucks. They jumped around in excitement as they took it all in.
Dalton Kincaid, a tight end for the Buffalo Bills who went to Utah, commented on the team's Instagram post saying that he wanted in on the fun.
"Am I still on scholarship?" he quipped.
The Crimson Collective, backed by donors, is paying for the leases of each truck, which has an MSRP of $43,970, on a six-month contract and is also covering the insurance. The contracts are expected to roll over based on a player's eligibility and membership on the team. If a player loses eligibility or transfers, they will lose their truck. The dealership that Crimson Collective worked with for the deal, Ken Garff Automotive Group, will take back the trucks as each lease is up and resell them.
Utah has risen to national prominence boosted by its performance on the field, winning back-to-back Pac-12 championships in 2021 and 2022. Last year, as the No. 12-ranked team, they upset No. 4 USC and Heisman winner Caleb Williams to take home the title.
Utah Utes men's and women's basketball, and gymnastics teams get cars from NIL deal
As the year winds to an end, Santa came a bit early for other Utah athletes two months after each scholarship football player was given a Dodge Ram truck.
On Dec. 13, Crimson Collective presented members of the men's and women's basketball and gymnastics teams with an opportunity to lease a 2024 Jeep Grand Cherokee L Limited Edition or a 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn truck in the Night Edition package. Unlike the football deal, every eligible student-athlete regardless of their scholarship status was offered a new car.
Crimson Collective, an NIL group that raises funds through donations, will pay for the leases and insurance for each of the automobiles. The deal is in partnership the Utah 360° streaming app, which Crimson Collective established as a platform for NIL promotional opportunities.
The organization was intentional about including the school's women's teams in this NIL deal.
“As a former University of Utah gymnast, it's incredibly meaningful for me to support our female student-athletes, as well as our talented young men,” Crimson Collective board member Nicole Mouskondis said in a statement. “When we began with the Crimson Collective, we envisioned an equitable platform that supports and connects all student-athletes, and particularly our women's teams. This initiative is not just about providing transportation; it's about showing all our student-athletes that their achievements and contributions to the community are equally celebrated, on and off the field.”
Last month, the Utah gymnastics team mutually parted ways with head coach Tom Farden after two members of the team reported stories of abuse. Carly Dockendorf is the interim head coach.
"If I could just sum this up in one word, this looks like a perfect ten," Dockendorf told the members of the Red Rocks gymnastics team in an Instagram video showing the reveal of the NIL deal where the cars were presented in the gymnasium. "It just speaks of the excellence that we continue to see in all areas across campus in providing our student athletes with nothing but the very best."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Utah football, basketball, gymnastics athletes get cars in NIL deal
