NIL is moving from headline deals to something more measurable.
In this episode of The NIL Podcast by SportsEpreneur, Eric Kasimov talks with Brent Wall, co-founder and CEO of Student Athlete Score, about how NIL is becoming a marketing, data, and infrastructure challenge for schools, athletes, and brands.
Brent explains how data can help measure athlete value, social reach, campaign performance, brand fit, and NIL ROI. The conversation also gets into local deals, donor fatigue, new commercial roles inside athletic departments, and why athletes need to think about their platform beyond sports.
NIL Athlete Value Episode Overview
This NIL conversation focuses on measurement.
Brent Wall’s work with Student Athlete Score sits at the center of a major NIL shift. Schools, brands, and athletes are no longer just asking who has the biggest following. They are asking who has real influence, who fits a brand, and what kind of return a campaign can create.
This conversation looks at where NIL is heading next — away from chaos and toward systems that help athletes build value, help brands make better decisions, and help schools support athlete marketing in a more practical way.
Key Takeaways
- NIL is moving from chaos toward measurable ROI
- Student Athlete Score helps schools, athletes, and brands understand athlete value
- Follower counts alone do not tell the full story
- Local and regional brand deals may be a major NIL opportunity
- Schools are building new commercial roles around NIL and athlete marketing
- Donor fatigue is forcing more focus on real brand value
- AI and data can help match athletes with better-fit opportunities
- Olympic and non-revenue athletes may be overlooked NIL opportunities
- Youth athletes are being pushed to think about personal brand earlier
- Athlete branding can create skills that last beyond sports
Topics Covered
- NIL data and athlete valuation
- Social media reach and campaign performance
- Local and regional NIL deals
- AI, discovery, and athlete-brand matching
- Donor fatigue and NIL ROI
- Compliance, NIL Go, and regulation
- Transfer portal impact on mid-major programs
- Olympic sports and non-revenue athletes
- Fake followers, bots, and better data
- Athlete branding beyond sports
Notable Quote
“NIL is becoming less about who got the deal — and more about whether the deal actually worked.”
NIL Athlete Value Chapters
00:00 – Introduction
01:50 – The professionalization of sports at every level
03:00 – Why young athletes now have to think about personal brand
04:39 – Social media cleanup, exposure, and pressure on kids
06:32 – What Student Athlete Score does
07:56 – Measuring athlete value on social media
08:35 – How universities use the platform
10:05 – AI, discovery, and local brand deals
11:39 – NIL education, taxes, and athlete responsibility
13:36 – The old Wild West of NIL and the new one
15:59 – Compliance, NIL Go, and regulation
16:22 – Eligibility, the five-and-five rule, and college sports consistency
19:35 – Tournament expansion, TV money, sports betting, and more games
23:00 – Olympic sports and non-revenue programs
26:17 – Donor fatigue and the need for NIL ROI
29:41 – Why money does not guarantee winning
31:19 – The transfer portal and mid-major programs
36:00 – International athletes, age gaps, and roster pressure
38:49 – Olympic athletes, NIL, and personal brand gaps
40:28 – Bots, fake followers, and better data
42:31 – Why athlete interests matter to brands
43:31 – Building a platform for life after sports
44:11 – Youth sports, high school athletes, and brand education
46:21 – NIL as sales and marketing education
47:21 – Team dinners, micro-influencers, and local business value
50:40 – How Student Athlete Score grew with universities
51:26 – New commercial roles inside athletic departments
52:57 – Where to find Brent Wall and Student Athlete Score
Connect & Follow
Related Content
- NIL Hub
- NIL Pros and Cons for Athletes, Families, and Schools
- Transfer Portal Pros and Cons
- The US Government and NIL
SportsEpreneur is a sports business media platform covering NIL, media, and the changing college sports landscape.
Eric Kasimov is the founder of SportsEpreneur, part of the KazSource media network. Since launching the platform in 2015, he has hosted over 500 podcast episodes, written and published more than 1,500 articles, and advised business leaders, founders, and creators on building authority through media strategy.
Through his brands — KazSource, KazCM, SportsEpreneur, and QuietLoud Studios — Eric leads teams that produce podcasts, develop brand platforms, and help companies grow through modern content ecosystems. He also scaled KazSource Insurance into a seven-figure boutique agency, providing the foundation for the broader media network he operates today.
His work has been featured in Forbes, Axios, and Front Office Sports, and his podcasts have included conversations with top founders, investors, and athletes turned entrepreneurs.