That certainly isn’t unique to Princeton in the Ivies. It’s those “internships” while still in school, though, that would be the great equalizer.
Also, my memory is Washington was a great student who barely played.
The ability to attract elite players who think their sport may be their future
may be a bit tougher for all. the Ivies. I am not saying the case cannot be made, but ther right choice may not always be obvious.
Then there’s that little-used guard out of Minnesota who was a senior on the 2003 team with Spencer Gloger. Kegsbreath or something like that.
What’s he up to lately?
At a minimum Princeton should be looking to what Penn has already put in place. McCaffrey has already leaned into the alumni network and received commitments from over 30 contributors that are put into action. 1. Collective Contributions (cash pool). 2. Paid Internships (largest lever). 3. Alumni driven NIL deals. 4. Corporate network access. Don’t just write checks.. - - hire our players. All legitimate and within Ivy league rules. Landon Lewis @ Brown - had summer internship at Goldman last summer and stated on the Ivy league preview show that his employer was very understanding so that he could get 3-4 hour workouts in during the day so he could improve.
Princeton’s current position is they are philosophically resistant and consider NIL a slippery slope. I think that Princeton has the strongest brand across all sports in the Ivy (men’s & women’s) and do not doubt that they will come up with something the meets the standard.
Very interesting. I’m curious about 2 items in particular. How much money do you think the 30 Penn supporters have in its non-collective collective? Also, what are some examples of alumni sponsored NIL deals and how much $ do the players typically earn? Thanks.
I’ve heard they have raised between $250,000 and $750,000 since they launched in November of 2025. One note was 30 alumni each contributed $25,000 each and another said it was $10,000 each. Best example of alumni sponsored NIL deal would be a paid summer internship … for example a Goldman Sach internship would pay between $25,000 to $40,000 for the summer.. it would qualify as NIL if their brand (athlete + school) helped secure the opportunity. Other examples would be paid speaking events. . having players speak or attend company events
Thanks. I’m not sure I follow the Goldman example. Are these internships that fall outside of the standard Goldman internship program? Columbia has had success with kids getting paid internships at Goldman that lead to full time jobs but this sounds different.
Not certain.. but all in how it is packaged to the recruit/player. Obviously the internship process in finance is incredibly competitive and is already heavily influenced by connections. I think it is being packaged as specific tie/assist from the alumni/boosters of the program versus alumni of the school.
Princeton basketball’s main finance bro is John Rogers of Ariel Capital, who has been deeply involved with Princeton basketball since he was captain back in 1979-80. I wonder what his opinions and interests are in this area and whether the administration has either encouraged or discouraged any NIL-like overtures on his part.
Is he the guy who paid Lee and Pierce?
I am unaware of any payments to those players.
Let’s be candid here. The only Ivy rule with any teeth is the attestation by the universities for deals over $2000 that the university did not procur. Nothing else, if it exists is of any value in a court post-Alston and House. The Penn model is modeled after the inside Duke model. A group of wealthy boosters aggregating. Last September it was between $250 and $500,000. Who did TJ Power thank when he committed? His agent. Players in at least 3 and maybe 5 schools are getting paid. And Yale is not in the group. As to Lee and Pierce, rumors abound.
I believe much of whats cited here are not within the new ivy guidelines i saw in april
Ivy athletes are more than capable of competing for lucrative internships
Sorry, can you translate this into English for us laypeople?
Ivy athletic departments will sign attestations of independence for NIL payments over $2,000. They attest that the NIL deal with an outside donor was not arranged by the school.
And what exactly constitutes an “arrangement”? I can see clever athletic departments and coaches finding a dozen ways around this.
There isn’t anything to really get around. We can all set up NIL opportunities for student-athletes.
Does no “arrangement” mean no coordination between coaching staff and deep-pocketed alums? Say the coaching staff really, really wants a particular kid to commit. Can they in any way signal to alums/fans to make this kid a NIL offer?
That’s a good point and probably a grey area. An NIL collective technically is unaffiliated with the school. It’s a group of boosters raising $ and maybe setting up NIL deals. Coaches aren’t even allowed to mention the collective, which obviously never happens. There has to be some sort of quiet coordination of payments, as you suggest.