Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is launching an agency this week to represent college athletes and help them maximize their opportunities under the NCAA's new name, image and likeness legislation. He is entering his sixth year at Penn State and his fourth year as the Nittany Lions starting quarterback. Limitless NIL is believed to be the first agency founded by a student to help others with NIL. They signed seven college athletes from three different colleges.
Over the past few months, he and his team have been soliciting clients and brands, after he filed the paperwork to form Limitless NIL with the state of Pennsylvania. He made more than $100,000 last year but had mixed experiences with professional agencies. He found himself helping younger teammates through the space, and that idea formed organically.
The agency that I was looking for was not something I could find. I wanted to leave more of a legacy than just on the field. I thought that this was the way I wanted to go.
Larger agencies that handle professional athletes did not have the bandwidth to handle the small details of college life, like creating content, posting it at proper times and helping with time management for college athletes.
Among the athletes who have signed with Limitless NIL so far are Penn State star safety Ji'Ayir Brown, Penn State women's basketball player Anna Camden and Kentucky tight end Brenden Bates.
Brown led the nation in intercepts last season, but he was frustrated by the lack of NIL interest in State College. He said he wanted to be in a position where he could help family members financially, and Brown invited him to his house for a longer discussion. Brown said that he would trust Sean with his life.
Limitless is where Brown is finishing his first NIL deal. He is expected to have a custom pizza at the store. Brown, who is known by the nickname "Tig" because he bounced around like the cartoon character Tigger as a baby, would debut a "Tig Pie" that would include bacon, sausage and possibly pineapple. He knows pineapple can be divisive.
Brown said it was great to be represented by people who were available, credible and determined. It is my dream to have something named after me.
Ishaan Jagiasi is a client who has more than 305,000 TikTok followers and is a basketball walk-on at Penn State. Brad Kraut, a Penn State senior who is the company's director of brand relations, said that they are in talks to get Jagiasi a $1,800 deal over three months to post about Daily Remedy, which makes post-workout bath salts. Limitless plans to take a 15% cut on the NIL deals.
Figuring out a way to exploit the large social media following of Jagiasi is one way that illuminates how Limitless NIL can work, as it can take lower-profile athletes and dedicate the time and resources to promoting them and finding deals. The infrastructure is in place to help produce and distribute clean content.
A lot of bigger agencies don't have a strategy for content creation or marketing specialty.
Along with the director of brand relations, the team also has a chief athlete officer, chief peer officer, a director of graphics, and a director of development. Three of the employees are college students.
talent representation, brand and content creation, and financial literacy are three pillars of the company founded by Sean Clifford. He said that Limitless NIL has access to financial advisers at a financial advisory firm.
All the athletes that sign with us get private wealth management the same way that a multimillionaire would, even if they have nothing in their bank account.
Helping athletes with time management and educating them on building their social media followings are some of the areas the company will focus on. The internship program will give college students experience and help aid athletes with support in their day-to-day dealings with brands.
Due to limited classroom time this spring and fall, Clifford has been able to devote all of his time to football and Limitless NIL. He graduated with a major in public relations and is working on completing a second major in broadcast journalism, for which he only has four credit hours this fall.
There is no shortage of ambition for what Limitless NIL could become. The son of a former defensive back in the National Football League said that he and Kraut are going to meet with athletes at nearby schools on a recruiting road trip.
Growing up in a family of athletes gave him an interest in the lives of athletes. He said he is going to graduate in August with a degree in broadcast journalism, but he has a passion for helping athletes.
The thing that sold me the most about it was that Sean wanted to help the athlete earn what they deserved.
The juxtaposition of having an athlete leading a company to help make others make money is new. He said he has worked with the compliance office at Penn State to make sure he is following all guidelines.
Penn State coach James Franklin was excited for his players to be able to take advantage of the new era and grow as entrepreneurs.
Sean has shown great passion, interest and creativity early on in this NIL space and has gained valuable business experiences. We are supportive of what Sean has done with NIL, and I hope to see more of our student-athletes take advantage of similar opportunities in the future.
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