BYU Announces Support for Officially Licensed Collective

"The Royal Blue" will be the officially licensed collective of BYU athletics

The officially licensed collected - The Royal Blue (TRB) - launched on Thursday, BYU athletics announced. The TRB is independent of BYU athletics and "plans to pool funds from fans, alumni and businesses to help facilitate NIL deals and monetize student-athlete brands."

According to its website, the TRB vision is to "make BYU a consistent national leader in collegiate athletic performance and see all its student-athletes promote light and goodness in life beyond sports."

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The Royal Blue "was created with a goal of supporting student-athletes at BYU by facilitating legal and compliant NIL opportunities as well as helping those athletes prepare for the future." 

The last element, preparing for the future, is what will set BYU's collective apart from other collectives across the country. TRB will focus on helping BYU student athletes "thrive in life, family, faith, and professional pursuits."

The Royal Blue will be run by a Board of Directors comprised of accomplished business professionals. Ampelis CEO Lon Henderson and business owner Mark Comer will serve as co-chairs of The Royal Blue collective. Former BYU basketball player Craig Cusick will also serve on the Board of Directors alongside Brian Hawkins, Andrew Van Buren, Wilford Clyde, Josh James, and Sterling Sessions.

According to its website, "The Royal Blue intends to operate as a public charity as described in section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code." Meaning contributions to TRB will be tax deductible.

TRB will completely change the way that BYU has operated in the new space of name, image, and likeness. This is a very positive development that will help BYU athletics attract and retain top talent.

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Casey Lundquist
CASEY LUNDQUIST

Casey Lundquist is the publisher and lead editor of Cougs Daily. He has covered BYU athletics for the last four years. During that time, he has published over 2,000 stories that have reached more than three million people.