Baylor Receives $10 Million Gift for Athletics, NIL
Baylor has some of the top athletic programs in the country, and with that comes great pressure in terms of NIL funds.
Face it, colleges are going to find success in the near future due to NIL. If they can outbid players for their services, student-athletes are going to have a tough time denying the opportunity to get paid.
And Baylor just put themselves in a great position with their recent gift.
They announced on Friday that $10 million was given by Bob Simpson to support their athletics, NIL, and the Give Light Capital Fund.
"We are truly grateful for Bob Simpson's continued support of Baylor University," said Baylor President Linda A. Livingstone. "His recent gift underscores the breadth and depth of his philanthropy, providing leadership support to ensure we can provide the highest quality experiences for our student-athletes in Baylor Athletics and for our Baylor Family."
His donation will help in multiple areas, including the Bob R. Simpson Endowed Excellence Fund for men's basketball, which will provide resources for the program.
The Bob Simpson Performance Center will be a 6,000-square-foot training space supporting both programs within the Allison Development Center. This is the final component of the Foster Pavilion and will open later this summer.
Baylor's basketball program is viewed as one of the best in the nation, and for good reason.
Head coach Scott Drew is one of the top coaches in the country with his teams becoming known for their elite level defensive play.
They landed one of the top-ranked players in the transfer portal in Norchad Omier. The 6-foot-7 forward, who had multiple offers higher than Baylor's when it came to NIL money, still ended up committing to Drew and this program.
While he took the smaller offer in terms of NIL money, it doesn't take away the importance of it. The upgrades from Simpson and his NIL donation will only help Drew and the Bears land future recruits.
Simpson recognized the success the basketball program has had and credited Drew for not only putting together a national championship team, but for recruiting quality young men.
"As a Bear with a few decades of experience, I know that success comes from leadership and vision. Scott Drew has delivered both for his young men and the national presence of Baylor."
This highlights another way schools around the country have gotten NIL funds to utlize across their different athletics programs.
JON CONAHAN
Jon Conahan has been covering all major sports since 2019. He is a 2022 graduate of the Bellisario School of Journalism at Penn State University and previously played D1 baseball.