NIL Edge
How Colorado State Helps Athletes Build NIL Opportunities
Grayson Wagner, Senior Director of NIL & Revenue Sharing Operations at Colorado State, joins Sterling Randle to discuss how college athletes can build their value to brands through content creation, local connections and individualized NIL support, while navigating revenue sharing and the changing landscape of college athletics.
Presented in partnership with HPL Digital Sport ↗
How do college athletes build a case for brand partnerships before they have an established name on the field or court?
At Colorado State, helping athletes develop NIL opportunities involves more than connecting them with potential sponsors. It means encouraging consistent content creation, understanding their individual interests, identifying connections within the local business community and preparing them to communicate their value to brands.
In this episode of NIL Edge, host Sterling Randle sits down with Grayson Wagner of Colorado State Athletics. Drawing on his experience at Opendorse, Maryland, Kansas and Colorado State, Wagner discusses athlete development, brand partnerships, NIL education and how the university is preparing for its move to the Pac-12.
What This Episode Covers
✓ Building an athlete's content portfolio to attract brands
✓ Colorado State campaigns with Facebook, Vuori and Creator Sports Network
✓ Explaining NIL and revenue sharing to recruits and families
✓ Why Colorado businesses value athletes with local roots
✓ Setting realistic NIL goals through individual athlete meetings
✓ Measuring success through athlete retention and repeat brand partnerships
✓ How the Pac-12 move could expand Colorado State's visibility
Grayson Wagner
Colorado State Athletics
Grayson Wagner joins NIL Edge to discuss his work supporting NIL opportunities at Colorado State. With experience at Opendorse, Maryland and Kansas, Wagner brings a perspective shaped by multiple college athletics environments. He discusses helping athletes develop their personal brands, connecting them with commercial opportunities, educating families about athlete compensation and evaluating the long-term impact of NIL programming.
For NIL administrators working to create more opportunities for their athletes, Wagner's approach highlights the importance of individual development. Rather than relying exclusively on an athlete's competitive success or social media following, the conversation explores how consistent content creation and a well-developed portfolio can help athletes demonstrate their potential value to brands.
Colorado State's work with brands and platforms including Facebook, Vuori and Creator Sports Network offers examples of the different commercial opportunities available to college athletes. Wagner also discusses why local businesses may be particularly interested in athletes with connections to Colorado and how those relationships can contribute to an effective NIL program.
The episode also examines how NIL fits into the broader transformation of college athletics. From explaining the distinction between NIL and direct revenue sharing to evaluating athlete retention and repeat partnerships, Wagner provides insight into how Colorado State approaches athlete support while preparing for increased visibility through its move to the Pac-12.
NIL Edge
NIL Edge is NILNewsstand's interview series featuring the athletes, brands and college athletics leaders shaping the future of NIL, revenue sharing and the new era of college athletics.
The series is hosted by Sterling Randle and produced by HPL Digital Sport in partnership with NILNewsstand. Subscribe for more conversations about the business of NIL.
