WVU Baseball’s Kyle West is earning a monthly salary from name, image and likeness deals through the Country Roads Trust. For West, it’s important to stay active in the community while earning money to play.
The CRT is an NIL collective facilitating financial deals for student athletes through corporate sponsorships, licensing deals, and donors since January 2022. The CRT is the only NIL organization at WVU and one of 336 in the nation according to the NIL Newsstand. Every school in the Power Four now has an NIL collective.
Players are expected to complete an obligation to receive their income. These tasks can be anything from social media posts, community engagements, commercials, or meet and greets.
“There is a lot of experience they (student athletes) get through different engagements they do with us,” said Taylor Haguewood, who is the director of NIL and strategic initiatives at the CRT. “Talking to people, signing autographs, having to do interviews and speaking in front of a camera.”
Haguewood said that these skill sets will continue to benefit the athletes even if they never play sports past the collegiate level.
“Last year, we went to Charleston (West Virginia) a couple times to do community service and a GoMart baseball camp,” West said. “It is pretty cool that you can still gain some outreach to the community while benefiting yourself.”
West was also presented with a one-year lease to a Ford Bronco from Toothman Ford in return for completing activities such as filming commercials and attending community events.
“We try to be a good community partner,” owner JR Toothman said. “We hand-pick the athletes we think are a good fit for us as far as the way they represent themselves.”
Toothman Ford Finance Manager Keith Leach explained that car deals with athletes are a great opportunity to meet the men and women who represent the state and university. Leach arranged and finalized West’s car deal.
“I think that if you have the right head on your shoulders and act responsibly with it, I think that NIL is unbelievable,” said West.
West is excited to be playing in his home state for a final season. While his focus remains on the field, the skill sets and benefits he has gained from NIL have lasted him a lifetime.
Photo courtesy of Patrick Martin of Toothman Ford
