Spiller tests waters on NIL
With help from his father, Aggies junior running back takes measured approach with deals
COLLEGE STATION — Six months ago, Fred Spiller figured he’d spend part of this summer enjoying his son Isaiah’s preseason accolades. Fred had no idea he’d be sifting through multiple preseason financial pitches to Isaiah as a college athlete.
“It’s been crazy, it really has,” Fred said of the first half of July — the first two weeks of new NCAA guidelines allowing college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness (NIL). “With all the (offers) coming through, we’re trying to see what’s a good deal and what’s not a good deal.
“This is all new to us.”
That goes for everyone involved, and Fred said the Spillers are being choosy when it comes to endorsing products. Texas A&M junior Isaiah Spiller, a former Klein Collins standout, is one of the nation’s top returning running backs, and to boot has charm to spare when he’s not plowing over defensive backs.
That’s why chicken finger restaurant Raising Cane’s reached out to Isaiah for an endorsement soon after it became legal to do so for college athletes. Meanwhile, college football players’ longstanding fascination with one three-lettered acronym beginning with an N (NFL) has — at least for now — been usurped by another with a more immediate payout (NIL).
“Raising Cane’s wanted Isaiah to become one of their ambassadors, and we thought that was a good idea,” Fred said with a chuckle. “We really like Cane’s. And it’s a national brand, so that was a nobrainer.”
Isaiah, who turns 20 in August, posted to Twitter on July 5: “Fueling up post workout with my go to Raising Canes,” along with an agreeable picture of Isaiah enjoying some Cane’s chicken, fries and bread.
Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler, LSU quarterback Myles Brennan and Ohio State cornerback Sevyn Banks also have hopped on the Raising Cane’s college bandwagon. Fred politely declined to reveal specific financial details of Isaiah’s Raising Cane’s contract, but A&M fan website TexAgs.com was more than happy Friday to share its agreement with Isaiah and A&M safety Demani Richardson.
TexAgs, through a real estate company sponsorship, paid each player $10,000 for an exclusive interview at the TexAgs headquarters across George Bush Drive from the A&M practice fields. The news sparked reaction nationally, considering college players being openly paid for interviews is unprecedented.
Fred, who played tight end for the Aggies two decades ago, said Isaiah has had many more offers come his way in the past two weeks, but the Spillers are not accepting everything thrown their way early in this new NIL world.
“I don’t want him to do too much,” Fred said. “I want him to focus on the season and doing what he has to do this summer for the season. We’re kind of being picky and not just doing everything that jumps out.”
A&M coach Jimbo Fisher has a media policy that does not allow freshmen to talk to reporters as they acclimate to their unfamiliar environs and begin melding with their new teammates. Previous A&M coach Kevin Sumlin had the same policy and said a big a reason why was it prevented jealousy among older teammates if a newcomer is in front of the mic early and often.
College coaches now must deal with an entirely new domain, one that makes muting freshmen look like child’s play: how to keep all players happy when a handful are making much more money than the rest.
Fred, a behavior specialist in the counseling department of the Klein school district, said that’s one more reason why Isaiah is not grabbing every opportunity to cash in early.
“People could get jealous, and it could cause turmoil in the locker room,” Fred said in general of the murkier possibilities of the new NIL arrangements. “That’s what we’re trying to avoid by not doing so much — by doing a few little things here and there.”
Fred, who joked that he would have endorsed Freebirds World Burrito in College Station had the NCAA adopted the NIL policy around the turn of the century when he was playing, said the drastic changes “have been a long time coming” in aiding college athletes.
“Being an inner-city kid myself and not having a lot of support, that money goes a long way for kids who don’t have a lot of support and need a little extra cash,” said Fred, a 1999 graduate of Nimitz. “I know a lot of kids probably think they’re going to get rich from this, but you’re probably not going to get rich off this money. Bu it is nice extra cash to have.”
The Spillers have been in routine contact with Brad Barnes in the A&M athletics compliance department, Fred said, and they count on Barnes to lead their uncharted NIL path.
“Every deal we’ve gotten or we think about doing, I have a group text (message) with him,” Fred said. “(A&M has) an (online) portal to go through, to fill out every NIL opportunity and let compliance see it and make sure it’s OK. They let you know the guidelines.”
A&M cranks up camp in early August, and the Aggies open Fisher’s fourth season on Sept. 4 against Kent State at Kyle Field. Between now and then, plenty more opportunities are certain to fall in Spiller’s lap, along with a handful of his higher-profile teammates.
For instance, junior defensive lineman DeMarvin Leal has signed with Ballengee Group, a marketing firm out of Dallas. And fellow defender Richardson already has made $10,000 for a 20-minute interview on TexAgs.com, with him and Isaiah paving the way for what is certainly more to come on that front.
“We’re going to support (NIL) one thousand percent, and we have to — we want to do that for our players,” Fisher has said of the big-time changes in the NCAA this summer. “At the same time, (players) have to learn that’s going to be a learning curve for them, too, in learning to keep things in perspective and remember you have a brand because you play well.”