Mississippi State Receives Generous Gift To Start New State Excellence NIL Fund

Mississippi State is going to become players in the NIL space with a new fund being founded.

Sep 21, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Mississippi State Bulldogs running back Johnnie Daniels (20) reacts with teammates after a touchdown against the Florida Gators during the fourth quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. / Matt Bush-Imagn Images

The 2024 college football season has not been a good one for the Mississippi State Bulldogs. After a 56-7 victory in their opener over the Eastern Kentucky Colonels, success has been difficult to come by.

In their second game, they went on the road to Tempe and lost to the Arizona State Sun Devils 30-20. They were then dominated by the Toledo Rockets 41-17 and most recently they were on the receiving end of a 45-28 beating from the Florida Gators.

Things aren’t going to get any easier for the Bulldogs. They face the No. 1 ranked Texas Longhorns, No. 2 ranked Georgia Bulldogs and No. 24 ranked Texas A&M Aggies in their next three contests.

Being competitive in a loaded SEC will take some time. But, there is some hope that the program will be turning a corner sooner than later thanks to an extremely generous gift from an anonymous donor.

An $8 million gift has been given to the school to help kickstart a new State Excellence NIL fund. A family, who has not been named, provided the gift that will help usher in a new era of revenue sharing in collegiate sports.

“This thoughtful and generous investment in our program is critical to what we are building here in Starkville in this new era of college athletics,” Mississippi State athletic director Zac Selmon said in a statement, shared by Pete Nakos of On3. “To be an elite-level program, it takes elite-level resources. A gift of this magnitude shows the unwavering drive to establish Mississippi State Football as a premier college football destination for many years to come. I could not be more grateful for the commitment to championing our programs and players.”

In the current day and age, if you do not have successful NIL deals in place it will be a challenge to compete. The schools with the most money are finding success recruiting high school players and anyone in the transfer portal.

The Bulldog Initiative currently works alongside Mississippi State as the main NIL collective. Founded by a 1994 graduate and lifelong supporter, Charlie Winfield.

Football head coach Jeff Lebby is thankful for all of the support that his team is receiving.

“This investment in our program shows that State fans are ‘all-in’ when it comes to helping provide the resources it takes to compete in the toughest conference in the country. Having their support and belief in what we’re building is crucial for us as we continue to move forward. There are truly no words that can describe how thankful I am for the commitment to the program I am blessed to lead,” said Lebby.

There is a wide gap between the Bulldogs and the upper-echelon teams in their conference. But, the monetary commitments being made will help them close the disparity that exists.