LOS ANGELES — Last summer, as USC rolled out its initial plans for navigating the new world of name, image and likeness, the notion of boosters brokering NIL deals beyond the university's watchful eye was viewed as a potential nightmare scenario. When a donor-led collective arrived at USC by August, the university refused to even acknowledge it. Several other attempts were shot down before they got off the ground.
But any fear of deep-pocketed donors running amok at USC is now a distant memory. Sentiments toward outside collectives on campus have warmed considerably since that icy response, as an entirely different strategy for NIL takes shape within Heritage Hall. One donor-run collective, the Tommy Group, has already launched with the university's blessing. At least three others are either already aligned with USC and its compliance department or actively vying for that approval.
Victory Formation is one of the new groups raring to join a suddenly crowded field of NIL collectives at USC. Started by Manuel Hernandez, a USC alum and financial advisor to several former Trojans athletes, as well as Jeff McKay, grandson of legendary USC coach John McKay, the group told The Los Angeles Times it intends to function as a full-fledged NIL agency for USC athletes, tapping into a roster of former Trojans athletes to not only help find and facilitate endorsement deals and appearances, but also offer athletes everything from content creation and mentorship opportunities to financial literacy training and legal counsel.
