Mississippi State Sees NIL Profits Skyrocket After John Cohen's Departure
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Mississippi State is looking to move up in the world of Name, Image and Likeness.
According to a report from Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated, MSU's NIL collective has grown to include more than 900 members over the past few days. The collective has also brought in an additional $500,000 in pledged annual donations -- giving it a total well into the millions of dollars.
Much of this has happened since the university announced the departure of former athletic director John Cohen on Monday morning. Cohen has since accepted the AD position at Auburn and was seen sporting orange and blue at a men's basketball exhibition game for the Tigers on Wednesday night.
Auburn might be on the same level as Mississippi State in terms of overall athletics success over the past few years, but most of its athletic teams have a significantly higher amount of funding and a larger number of boosters who are willing to give everything they have for success on the field, court or diamond.
Mississippi State has struggled to bring in the big bucks since NIL ramped up in popularity. Cohen was vocal in sharing his distaste with the current state of NIL while in Starkville, leading it to be placed on the back burner and regarded as insignificant. With the former AD out, the university can begin to fund players at a higher level and in a different way -- likely why so many people are suddenly itching to contribute.
Perhaps the increase in funding could be to spite Cohen, or maybe his departure served as a wake-up call to those who want to see Mississippi State's athletic programs continue to improve. Either way, the collective is expected to continue growing exponentially and could certainly help the Bulldogs keep up with some of the biggest programs across various sports in the coming years.