Iowa State NIL Collective Lands Major Partnership Deal

We Will, Iowa State's NIL collective, landed a major new partnership deal with a regional company.

Iowa State mascot Cy the Cardinal high fives fans during the Beale Street Parade for Iowa State University and University of Memphis in Downtown Memphis, Tenn., on Thursday, December 28, 2023. Iowa State will play Memphis in the AutoZone Liberty Bowl on Friday. / Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Iowa State’s NIL collective, We Will, has been doing a wonderful job raising money to use for the athletic programs. They are about to get a massive influx of capital thanks to a new partnership deal that has been signed.

We Will announced a partnership with Elite Casino Resorts, a Midwest regional gaming operator. Elite Casino Resorts will be contributing $300,000 to the school’s NIL collective.

Support will be provided at charitable events that include Cyclones student-athletes. The entire Elite Casino Resorts portfolio, including Riverside Casino & Golf Resort, Grand Falls Casino & Golf Resort and Rhythm City Casino Resort will be taking part in events We Will holds.

“We are excited about our partnership with the We Will Collective and look forward to supporting student-athletes for charitable events at our Iowa resorts,” Elite Casino CEO Dan Kehl said.

This isn’t the first foray into NIL for Elite Casino. They also have a partnership with Iowa State’s bitter rivals, the Iowa Hawkeyes and their The Swarm Collective.

$500,000 was contributed to Iowa, as these are the only two known partnerships between schools and the gambling industry in collegiate sports. With sports gambling becoming legalized in more and more places, it would not be surprising to see more NIL collectives making deals with those kinds of companies.

“We are extremely grateful for our partnership with Elite Casino Resorts, which will make a huge impact on our mission of keeping the Cyclones thriving by doing great things in our community,” We Will executive director Brent Blum said. “Elite Casino Resorts is a company run by Iowans that is truly committed to the state of Iowa with their wide-ranging support and they certainly align with our continued aspirations of using NIL for good.”

There are certainly some risks in partnering with a gambling company, especially since the Cyclones were involved in a scandal in 2023 that resulted in criminal charges or NCAA suspensions. More than three dozen active and former student-athletes had punishments levied against them for connections to sports gambling.

Iowa State has consistently thought outside of the box when it came to NIL deals. They have gone the co-branding route on several occasions, as the school’s logo and NIL logo will be featured on a bunch of products.

In August 2023, We Will launched Iowa State 1858 Vodka. Logos for both are featured on bottles as well as the school’s mascot, Cy the Cardinal. We Will Cold Brew has also been made along with Ames Lager, all with the goal of making as much NIL money as possible for the student-athletes.