Sports

Vanderbilt’s NIL Collective Immediately Solicited Donations After Star Tight End Bailed On NFL Draft

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Eli Stowers Vanderbilt NIL Donation Football
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Something special is happening on West End and Vanderbilt needs your help. The Anchor Impact collective is asking for additional NIL donations after star tight end Eli Stowers forwent the NFL Draft and announced his return to college football.

Although this kind of solicitation is not abnormal in the modern era of “amateur” athletics, it serves a reminder that there is never enough money.

Stowers, a former four-star quarterback recruit, finished as the Commodores’ leading receiver in 2024. He caught 49 passes for 638 yards and five touchdowns during a historic season for a program that typically finishes at or near the bottom of the SEC. Diego Pavia looks in his direction at every opportunity.

And even when Stowers is not open, he is still open!

The All-SEC tight end was projected as a mid-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft and thought a lot about turning pro. However, Stowers recently announced his decision to run it back for one more season of college football at Vanderbilt.

A large part of Stowers’ return stems from his relationship with Pavia, Jerry Kill and head coach Clark Lea. He fully believes the Commodores can be legitimate contenders in the SEC.

Vanderbilt needs more money to compete!

Of course, finances also played a role in the age of NIL. Eli Stowers can make an equal or greater salary in college than he would as a rookie in the NFL. Why not try to boost his draft stock with one more year?

Although Vandy’s NIL arm wouldn’t have signed Stowers to a new deal without the money to back it up, those funds are now spent. The Anchor Impact collective took less than 24 hours to start fundraising off of the announcement.

This is the right strategy to capitalize on momentum. Using good news as an excuse to solicit more donations is a necessary evil. That doesn’t make it any less fulgurous to see play out in real time.

Vanderbilt raised enough money to sign its start tight end, spent that money on its star tight end and immediately went to work trying to get more money to sign the rest of its roster. There is never enough!