What UNC’s NIL consolidation effort means for North Carolina football

UNC football’s fall practice erupted on Monday when Kodak Black’s “Skrilla” played.

“If you ain’t talking money, I don’t hear ya,” rapped Black over the booming loudspeakers at the Bill Koman Indoor Practice Facility. Players and staff members alike danced, bopped their heads and sang along.

All offseason, head coach Mack Brown has talked money. He’s asked for UNC fans to support the team’s NIL efforts. He’s called for better alignment within the Carolina collective space and complained about donor fatigue.

CAROLINA NIL, a comprehensive NIL consolidation effort the University announced on Thursday morning, may prove to be the solution to Brown’s cries for help.

This initiative brings together Carolina Athletics, its booster club, the North Carolina Hall of Fame, and the newly formed Old Well Management to provide NIL services, knowledge and experiences to UNC athletes. Old Well Management consolidates and rebrands two former UNC-affiliated collectives: football’s Heels4Life and men’s basketball’s Secondary Break Club.

Old Well Management will work closely with the university and its athletic department, Tar Heel Sports Properties, and the NCHOF, which describes itself as a section 501 (c) (3) charitable organization established to “support and honor University of North Carolina student athletes of the past, present, and future.”

The Rams Club, UNC’s athletic booster club, is making NCHOF donations eligible to receive Rams Club priority points.

“Now we’re together,” Brown said. “We’re working with the Ram’s Club because that got confusing about which donations go to the Ram’s Club, which should go to which collective, what’s a tax write-off — there’s a learning process here.”

UNC’s consolidation of its NIL programs mirrors a similar move by N.C. State, which unified its NIL efforts under the “One Pack” umbrella in January.

“They work really hard,” N.C. State football coach Dave Doeren said. “Our donors have stepped up and are continuing to be asked to step up. It’s a big part of college football.”

Collectives at N.C. State, UNC and elsewhere have become an increasingly integral part of roster management and recruitment in the transfer portal era. Brown, when speaking on strengthening his defensive line in the spring, acknowledged this exact issue in a rather blunt manner.

“The portal is expensive,” he said. “Everybody says, ‘Why don’t they get that one?’ Well, give us more money. Check your NIL budget; what you’re spending, you (then) can second guess me.”

UNC was able to recruit Joshua Harris, a former Ole Miss defensive tackle, via the spring portal window. The Tar Heels also bolstered their offensive line with the spring additions of Zach Greenberg and Jakiah Leftwich, among other transfers across position groups. And, crucially, North Carolina secured the return of junior running back Omarion Hampton and senior defensive end Kaimon Rucker thanks to NIL deals with Heels4Life.

While their exact contract details remain private, InsideCarolina reported these signings were facilitated in part by the former football collective’s $1 million “Hold The Line” campaign.

Still, as recently as Monday, Brown complained of UNC being “way behind” in the collective space. He acknowledged this may be a temporary solution, pending the ramifications of the House v. NCAA antitrust settlement which will allow schools to share their revenue with athletes.

But, for the moment, UNC is organizing to talk money in a unified way. And hopefully, at least for Brown, donors hear them out.