Gonzaga, other INW universities enter NIL era

Schools focus on preparing student-athletes for personal branding, other opportunities

Soccer player Noah Bushey is one of 350 student-athletes participating in 18 sports at Gonzaga University.Months into the new NCAA policy that allows student-athletes to sell their name, image, and likeness, a handful in the Inland Northwest have begun brokering financial deals and sponsorships.

Those deals are in the tens and hundreds of dollars thus far—a far cry from one $1 million deal reported in Alabama—and range from advertising a $15 smoothie on Instagram to a $500 post for Arby’s Restaurant Group to monetizing a much-followed YouTube Channel.

While none of those student-athletes are getting rich…