Pitt Announces NIL Fund

Pitt Athletics has announced a new Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) fund in partnership with JMI Sports. The fund is called 'H2PNIL" and comes at a time where more money than ever is needed for competent collegiate programs.

Introducing H2P NIL 🔵🟡

Built for Pitt. Built for Pittsburgh. pic.twitter.com/V9e54rDTZC
— Pitt Panthers (@Pitt_ATHLETICS) June 16, 2026

JMI Sports is a media rights and venue development company that has been Pitt's multimedia rights partner since 2019. Content development and brand management is part of what the new NIL fund plans to help with.

According to Pitt Athletics' press release, the fund will also help with generating more revenue through business sponsorships, making sure student-athletes get fair deals and following NCAA and ACC guidelines when it comes to business deals.

Building Up Programs

This new fund comes after big off seasons for Pitt men's and women's basketball, as well as Pitt football.

The men's basketball offseason saw many of the team's young and promising players leave the program for the transfer portal. The only returning player is Macari Moore, a freshman who didn't see much playing time. Pitt Athletics reacted by scooping up many talented and proven players from the transfer portal. In just about a month, the transfer portal completely rebuilt Pitt's roster; a roster that one might say looks more competent than last year's.

Pitt women's basketball also saw changes, with Robin Harmony being brought in as the new head coach. Just like the men's team, the roster had a mixup with losing players but also gaining promising ones from the transfer portal.

Pitt football saw some shocking departures, notably linebacker Rasheem Biles. They were able to keep freshman quarterback Mason Heintschel, which is a big deal in today's college landscape, and made some interesting moves in the transfer portal. Still, the losses definitely sting.

Pitt volleyball, the school's most successful program this decade, has also been making big moves to make the most of their last season with star player Olivia Babcock. They signed Izzy Starck from Penn State soon after losing in another Final Four.

Basically, Pitt has been adapting to the college landscape by making big moves to add talent to their teams and replenish losses. More than just adding players, it also costs a lot of money to keep star players such as Heintschel and Babcock.

Pitt hitter Olivia Babcoc — Dec 18, 2025; Kansas City, MO, USA; Pittsburgh Panthers right side hitter Olivia Babcock (5) serves during the second set against the Texas A&M Aggies in a 2025 NCAA Women’s Volleyball Championship semifinal match at T-Mobile Center. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images | Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

Looking at recent champions in college sports, such as Michigan men's basketball and Indiana football, those are programs that put a lot of money into the transfer portal to find talent. It's not as simple as paying for good players, other aspects like coaching matter too, but the benefits of putting a lot of money into top programs can't be ignored.

Future of Smaller Programs

Recently, there was some controversy as it was announced that head swimming and diving coach Chase Kreitiler was resigning. Shortly after, several recent graduates of the team put out a statement calling out Pitt Athletics, saying this was the start of the school trying to dismantle the program.

As bringing in revenue becomes a more important part of college athletics, many fear for the future of the sports that don't bring in as much. It is to be seen if this new H2PNIL will either help the smaller programs or if it is just intended to support the already popular ones. Whichever way it may play out, it shows that Pitt is serious about adapting to the current college sports landcape.

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