Cal Creates a New Position -- Associate Athletics Director for NIL

Making the management of athletes' NIL issues a separate job at Cal tells you something about NIL's importance, and Justin DiTolla will have that responsibility

Sometimes just the creation of a new position tells you more than the person who will fill that role.

Cal on Monday announced that Justin DiTolla has been named the first Associate Athletics Director for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) at Cal.

DiTolla has nearly 15 years of experience in intercollegiate athletics, so he seems qualified.  But the fact that Cal thought it necessary to create an associate athletic director position to oversee athletes’ NIL concerns at the school speaks volumes about the importance of NIL.

In February, head football coach Justin Wilcox said this:

“NIL is a critical, critical component, the No. 1 component in determining the longevity and success of the program as college football sits right now.”

You could make a case that NIL is more important than player development, strategy and anything else you can name that goes into producing a top-flight college football program.

The amount of money a school can offer transfers or incoming freshman by way of NIL guarantees determines to a large degree which players go to particular school.  It’s not the only factor, of course, but it has become the biggest factor, and NIL importance only figures to increase.

“In the current climate of intercollegiate athletics, few things are more paramount than a successful Name, Image & Likeness program," Cal Director of Athletics Jim Knowlton said in a statement provided by Cal. "Not only do we now have a full-time administrator whose sole mission is to support our student-athletes as they engage in NIL activities, but we have the perfect person in place to lead our efforts. Justin's extensive background in compliance and student services gives him the tools necessary to navigate the challenging and rapidly evolving world of NIL, and we are fortunate to have him in this role as we look to enhance the student-athlete experience for all of our current and prospective Golden Bears."

In the not too distant future, players in revenue-generating sports will be earning salaries – or at least the way things seems to be headed.  And colleges will have to decide whether to opt in or opt out of that level of financial commitment to sports such as football and basketball.

The focus on NIL seems to be a precursor to that college-athletes-as-pros eventuality.

And DiTolla will be in charge of supporting the NIL concerns of Cal athletes. It’s a pivotal role.

Of course, the biggest impact will be the financial donations the Cal NIL collective collects. The more money in the collective’s coffers the more Cal can offer to athletes.

Cal’s NIL collective is not – and cannot be – part of the Cal athletic department.  But DiTolla will be the main person inside the athletic department managing athletes’ NIL concerns.

DiTolla has spent the past two years as Cal's associate athletics director for compliance and student services. In that role he worked closely with Cal athletes in their NIL venture.

Now, as associate AD for NIL, he will manage all aspects of NIL. That will include consulting with athletes, meeting with recruits, working with campus partners and developing methods to provide additional resources to athletes.

"I could not be more excited to start my new role solely devoted to Name, Image and Likeness," DiTolla said in a statement provided by Cal. "This new position will provide tremendous value to our student-athletes in providing additional educational resources, brand building and stimulating NIL activities. The future of NIL at Cal is bright as we have some very exciting projects that will lead to more NIL activities for our student-athletes that will be launched in the near future. I look forward to the opportunity to engage with student-athletes in NIL as I believe it is crucial to our success at Cal."

Kat Brown, a former All-Pac-12 volleyball player at Cal who received a law degree at the University of San Diego, replaces DiTolla as Cal's Associate Athletics Director for Compliance.

Cover photos of Justin DiTolla and Kat Brown are by Kelley Cox, KLC Fotos

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