TCU Athletics partners with Opendorse to better equip student-athletes for NIL readiness

TCU Athletics has long been on the forefront of marketing its programs and athletes, and Wednesday, they took a big step forward to become an even more innovate and effective program.

While the debate rages on over image and likeness licensing in college sports, several major programs are getting ahead of the inevitable and working with current student-athletes on how to best ready themselves for the future.

Enter Opendorse Ready.

Opendorse Ready provides student-athletes the opportunity to understand their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights and receive hands-on assistance from experts to maximize their value while on campus. The program offers three core pillars to student-athlete success: Assessment, Education, and Performance – tailored to assist each individual athlete. By joining now with a 3-year partnership commitment, TCU is able to offer the program’s NIL readiness solutions to every student-athlete at the University.

“The NIL movement provides an opportunity for TCU Athletics to position the young men and women in our program to build their personal brands for a lifetime of success,” said TCU Athletics Director Jeremiah Donati. “When change inevitably comes, I’m confident that we are positioned to provide the best possible education and resources available for student-athlete development. It’s my belief that Opendorse Ready is the leading NIL readiness solution in the market. We are a longtime partner of Opendorse and have witnessed firsthand the post-college success that brand-building delivers for TCU student-athletes.”

This isn’t about paying athletes or getting involved further in that discussion, it’s about preparing the university for what might be coming down the line — and as a bonus, offers an advantage in recruiting. Other programs across the country are launching similar initiatives, and these types of opportunities will certainly help sway athletes to TCU.

It’s something that they’ve already been doing for a long time, now they’ve added a professional partnership.

“TCU Athletics has long been at the forefront of athlete-driven marketing,” Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said. “Their commitment to building student-athletes’ brands has stood out among the best in college sports, and now I’m proud to help TCU put their program and players in position to win in the NIL era.

“They understand that Opendorse Ready is about more than making headlines today. It’s a proven program that delivers real results by providing student-athletes with the resources that we’ve used to maximize value for the most marketable in professional sports for years.”

Founded by Nebraska Football alumni Blake Lawrence and Adi Kunalic, Opendorse has become a proven market leader in helping sports organizations and their athletes increase the value of their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) with social media. More than 10,000 athletes currently use Opendorse to maximize their endorsement value in collaboration with partners on social media. Opendorse has partnered with the NFLPA, NBPA, NHL, PGA Tour and others while brands like Pepsi, Procter & Gamble and EA Sports also use the platform to execute endorsement campaigns with professional athletes.

About Opendorse Ready

The program will provide each student-athlete with a current valuation of their brand, review and flag content that could have a negative impact on a student-athlete’s brand, and provide insights to increase their individual endorsement value. Opendorse Ready will provide ongoing student-athlete education with performance benchmarks, content calendars, and set-up with social strategy sessions. Finally, the program will help each athlete perform to the peak of their ability on social media. The program will allow student-athletes to maximize the value of their brand now and be best-prepared to benefit if future legislation allows them to do so.

About Opendorse

Opendorse is the sports technology company that maximizes endorsement value for athletes. Today more than 10,000 athletes around the world use Opendorse to build their brand and publish social media content from partners including the PGA TOUR, NHL, NFLPA, MLBPA, WNBPA, LPGA, over 100 professional and collegiate sports teams, and hundreds of brands.

The platform is purpose-built to help athletes make the most of their moment and to capture this massive opportunity alongside the organizations they’re connected to. From All-Americans to All-Pros – when athletes share content on behalf of their partners or organizations – they share it through Opendorse.