Penn State NIL collective secures contracts for athletes from all 31 sports teams

Penn State NIL collective Success With Honor is absolutely killing it lately.

The collective was launched in March of 2022 with the goal of “helping more than 850 student-athletes at Penn State University navigate and maximize their Name, Image, and Likeness.” The collective has done just that thus far, as at least 1 athlete from all 31 varsity sports teams has inked a deal with the collective.

Jay Paterno, son of legendary coach Joe Paterno, is one of the founders of the collective. An advisory volunteer board works with the collective and is made up of notable names such as Lavar Arrington, Todd Blackledge, and Lisa Salters.

Paterno cited the number of Nittany Lion student-athletes who have to pay out of pocket for their college career as a major motivator for the collective. For example, Penn State has about 850 student-athletes. However, less than half of these 850 athletes received full scholarships. “Essentially they’re paying to play for Penn State,” said Paterno. Paterno said the goal is to “close those gaps” for student-athletes who do not receive full scholarships.

Paterno also noted that the collective is primarily focused on football, but ideally would sign deals with every student-athlete at the school. Nittany Lion football players who project to be late-round picks will especially benefit from the collective’s efforts. The collective hopes that players will be convinced to stay in college for an extra year to make NIL money and improve their draft stock.

In addition to working with student-athletes from every sport, the collective also has a merch shop, with 85–90% of proceeds going to the student-athletes. Success With Honor also hosts a weekly show on YouTube, where student-athletes are interviewed and get to promote themselves.