How much will Ryan Williams, others get in college football NIL video game deal?
Alabama receiver Ryan Williams and other Crimson Tide players are among college football players who have signed group licensing agreements for their name, image and likeness to be used in video games.
Yahoo Sports broke the news in what the outlet suggests “is expected to be the single largest commercial deal in the industry’s history.”
Pathway Sports and Entertainment, a company described as focusing on monetizing athlete NIL rights, provides players with “four-figure guarantees as part of video game NIL agreements,” the company’s executives told Yahoo Sport.
According to the report, Pathway has signed up more than 450 players at Alabama, Illinois, Georgia, Texas Tech, Wisconsin and Oregon.
“(Pathway is) helping us get our fair share of royalties from a billion-dollar business driven by a video game that is loved around the world,” Williams, the Alabama receiver, told Yahoo
Per the story, each player gets $1,500 upfront with royalty pay also expected.
The goal of the company is to sign all scholarship college football players with scheduled visits to Clemson, West Virginia, Missouri and Tennessee next.
NFLPA executive Casey Schwab, part of the Pathway three-member leadership team told Pete Thamel that “most athletic directors and most college football coaches want to support their football players in making legitimate commercial dollars. The reception so far has been excellent.”
Last year, EA Sports dealt with players directly and each got $600 for “College Football 25.”
Alabama Footall News
Former Alabama QB details why Tide will have big bounce-back year
Former Alabama quarterback, Greg McElroy sees a path for the Crimson Tide to have a big bounce-back season in 2025.
McElroy is basing Alabama’s potential resurgence on the returning talent they have on their roster under second year head coach, Kalen DeBoer. McElroy also pointed to the Tide’s reinstalled leadership, close-knit relationships and anxiousness to rewrite the Alabama narrative this season.
Former Alabama quarterback, Greg McElroy sees a path for the Crimson Tide to have a big bounce-back season in 2025.
McElroy is basing Alabama’s potential resurgence on the returning talent they have on their roster under second year head coach, Kalen DeBoer. McElroy also pointed to the Tide’s reinstalled leadership, close-knit relationships and anxiousness to rewrite the Alabama narrative this season.
“I look at what’s coming back on this team and a lot of what has made me very bullish on Alabama, having guys that could go to the NFL deciding to return even though they don’t necessarily have to. That’s big,” McElroy said. “You’re hearing about players in the locker room saying the leadership now that’s on this roster they feel really good about. Sounds like they’re really unified, they’re anxious to kind of rewrite the messaging about what Alabama is capable of.”
McElroy also went on to point to the big names the Tide have returning, the offensive line and the strength of the defense under second-year defensive coordinator Kane Wommack as reasons for their potential resurgence.
“They have some big names returning like Ryan Williams,” McElroy said. “The offensive line should be pretty good, but it’s mainly the defense that I think most people feel really good about. You look at what’s at what’s back, there’s a lot. They have nine starters returning and most of those guys that are returning on defense were underclassmen. And the addition of Ryan Grubb on offense cannot be understated. I think the schedules tough, but Alabama with the continuity returning defensively, they should be really well poised to have a big bounce back year in year number two under Kalen DeBoer.”
