The entire Pitt football team, all 85 scholarship student-athletes, will benefit from a team-wide NIL deal, Alliance 412’s Oakland Originals announced Thursday.
It’s the continuation of Alliance 412’s new Oakland Originals brand rolling out NIL opportunities for Pitt student-athletes. And with a team-wide NIL deal that Panther-Lair’s Chris Peak reported is seven figures in total, with each student-athlete receiving five figures, it’s certainly a huge opportunity.
“Huge impact, huge opportunity for these players,” Alliance 412 founder Chris Bickell said in Oakland Originals’ Twitter video. “How do we get something at Pitt in the football program that allows kids to walk into the locker room and know that they’re really a part of something that the collective has put in front of them, not individualizing things but to say, ‘Hey, man, we’re all in on you guys,’ and that provides a unified locker room.”
“That’s what we’re attempting to do here, really just give you the opportunity to build your brand, create your legacy,” Alliance 412 COO Jeff Goldberg said in Oakland Originals’ Twitter video.
In the era of NIL in college football, it’s a game-changing opportunity for a college team to be able to offer its entire team — significant — guaranteed NIL money. It’s much needed in order for Pitt to keep up with NIL giants around the country — and a significant investment from Bickell.
“Oakland Originals” is the first NIL marketing initiative that will help student-athletes navigate NIL, provide athlete entrepreneurial development and content creation and personal branding opportunities — with both personal branding and brand partnerships.
It will provide Pitt student-athletes, from every sport, with the opportunity to build their own personal brand through the Oakland Originals brand — through YouTube shows, clothing brands, etc. — with full NIL support and money-making potential. It also gives Pitt fans, alumni and supporters the chance to donate to the NIL collective.
The team — led by Alliance 412 founder Chris Bickell, COO Jeff Goldberg, and Chief Strategy and Business Development Officer John Pelusi — joined forces with Jaster Athletes, an athlete marketing agency launched by CEO Jordon Rooney, to launch the idea. The group has plans to bring resources to Pitt athletes that it claims cannot be found anywhere else across the college athletics landscape.
Those interested in supporting Alliance 412 and the Oakland Originals marketing brand are able to subscribe via a multitude of monthly tier packages that range from $10 a month to $500 a month.
The options include a student tier for $10 a month, a 1976 Society tier for $19.76 a month, a 412 Club tier for $41.20 a month, a Royal tier for $100 a month, a Gold tier for $250 a month and an Alliance Premium tier for $500 a month. Of course, each tier offers its own package of content and opportunities that reflect the monthly price.
