Madyson Taylor on NIL Deals for D1 Athletes

Episode overview

What does an NIL deal actually look like for a Division I athlete outside college football's biggest contracts? George Mason women's soccer defender Madyson Taylor explains how her first opportunity began when Mason's NIL staff asked her coach to recommend an athlete for a Crumbl partnership. Social media did not come naturally to her, but she accepted the challenge, brought teammates into the store and created a reel around the experience. George Mason later reported that the campaign generated 114,000 impressions and a 24 percent engagement rate, demonstrating how a local business and a college athlete can create measurable value together. Taylor also breaks down the obligations and compensation that can come with smaller NIL partnerships. Crumbl preferred roughly one post per month and provided merchandise, cookie cards and products. A separate contrast-therapy partnership called for weekly promotion in exchange for access to recovery services such as ice baths and a sauna. Neither agreement paid her cash, but each gave her practical benefits while helping her learn content creation, brand communication and personal marketing. Her experience offers families a grounded answer to common questions about how college athletes get NIL deals, what athletes must provide and whether every agreement includes money. That work still has to fit around training, treatment and academics. Taylor describes why the student comes first in student-athlete, how she manages a Community Health major and Division I soccer, and why discipline and support systems matter as she works toward professional soccer in Europe.