New Tulane Green Wave NIL Partnership Indicates Big Players in Revenue Share Era

Tulane Green Wave signifies plans to be top of the American Athletic Conference in NIL resources with new partnership and minimum league standard.

Matthew Hinton-Imagn Images

The timing of the Tulane Green Wave's expansion of a key NIL partnership coincided with the American Athletic Conference setting a college football precedent with a minimum standard in revenue sharing.

Tulane football plans to bring on an Executive General Manager (EGM) and Athlete Marketing Manager (AMM) with Altius Sports Partners and will create an NIL sales-focused role that will be implemented in the spring.

These positions all are critical with the impending House settlement bringing revenue sharing to college athletes, and the Green Wave, as part of the AAC, will be held to a minimum standard of $10 million over a three-year period.

As college football shifts closer to the professional NFL model, more programs are bringing on additional in-house NIL roles. However, that focus is largely at the Power Four level.

While the minimum $10 million over a three-year span isn't a particularly high bar, it does require a level of buy-in by the league schools, with potential membership consequences should they fail to meet that bar.

It shows investment by the football teams that want to compete, and a bottom line ensures the conference members that the AAC plans to remain a top Group of Five destination.

It gives a potential exit for floundering members who would weigh down a conference by being so below par that the competition just isn't there.

Conference commissioner Tim Pernetti seems to have his finger on the pulse of the evolving landscape of college sports and how to separate the American, as he detailed in the announcement of the minimum standard.

“This action is another indication for how the American differentiates itself from its peers,” Pernetti said. “We are committed to differentiating the American in every way we can, and we are committed to delivering an unrivaled experience for student-athletes and positioning our members in the best place for the future of college athletics.”

Many programs will exceed that minimum. Tulane will likely be a bigger player, as will schools with strong NIL programs such as the Memphis Tigers and USF Bulls.

The Green Wave have put a lot of resources and expenditure into the football team's resources as of late.

While an indoor bubble for practice had been discussed over the years, it was a bit suddenly moved to a much more practical spot with a defined timeline of fall camp.

Prior to the expansion of their Altius Sports partnership, Tulane had already added on a Director of Roster Management, Kelly Comarda, as a critical in-house NIL role.

While rumors flourish around the Pac-12 and their need to add one more football member—with Tulane and Memphis as noted targets—the American is fighting back.

They have a defined television deal, no exit fees, and now a minimum revenue-sharing standard that signifies a buy-in to the future of college sports.