Why NIL needs data, why athlete brands matter, and how college sports is becoming a marketing business. College sports is moving fast. NIL, revenue sharing, transfer rules, donor fatigue, social media, compliance, brand deals, and athlete value are all colliding at once. Brent Wall, founder and CEO of Student Athlete Score, joins Eric Kasimov to talk through what is actually happening in the NIL market. Student Athlete Score helps schools, brands, and athletes understand social influence, audience quality, brand fit, and the real marketing value behind athlete deals. Eric and Brent get into the chaos around NIL, the rise of athlete personal brands, the growing youth sports market, the role of AI and data, and why local brand deals may be one of the most interesting parts of this whole shift. They also talk about college sports becoming more professional, what that means for Olympic sports and mid-majors, and why athletes now have to think about life beyond sports earlier than ever. Chapters 00:00 – Ann Arbor, Michigan sports, and the business behind athletics01:50 – The professionalization of sports at every level03:01 – Why athletes now need to build personal brands05:51 – What Student Athlete Score does07:56 – The FICO score idea for athlete social value08:35 – How universities use Student Athlete Score10:54 – NIL education, taxes, and athlete responsibility13:36 – The new era of NIL and NIL Go15:17 – Compliance, regulation, and the fight over NIL deals16:22 – Five-and-five, eligibility, and transfer rules18:53 – Lawsuits, athlete rights, and past NIL usage19:35 – Tournament expansion, TV money, and sports betting22:19 – Why media rights drive the sports economy23:00 – Tennis programs, Olympic sports, and budget pressure26:17 – Donor fatigue and the need for ROI28:15 – Data, story, and decision-making in college athletics29:41 – Transfer portal chaos and recruiting changes35:15 – Mid-majors as proving grounds36:00 – International athletes, age gaps, and roster realities38:49 – Unlocking NIL for Olympic sport athletes39:53 – Why follower quality matters41:03 – Instagram, TikTok, X, and athlete visibility42:31 – Brand fit beyond the sport43:31 – Life beyond sports and building a platform44:11 – NIL moving into the youth and high school market46:21 – NIL as a real-world sales and marketing lesson47:21 – Micro-influencers, team dinners, and local business deals50:31 – How Student Athlete Score landed university partners51:20 – New commercial roles inside athletic departments52:51 – Where to find Brent Wall and Student Athlete Score Connect Brent Wall: Website | LinkedIn Eric Kasimov — X | LinkedIn Related episodes NIL Made College Athletes Entrepreneurs With No Guardrails | EP194Gordon Hayward | Life After the NBA & Youth Sports ReformEP143 | Bad Grades in School to Sports Business Founder Dan SovieroEntrepreneur Perspectives is produced by QuietLoud Studios — a media network and a KazSource brand. Music by Jess & Ricky — SoundCloud