Alabama's Dallas Turner uses NIL dollars to purchase U.S SailGP team with investor group
Dallas Turner is diversifying his business portfolio.
The Alabama EDGE is using his NIL dollars to join the Avenue Sports Fund, which is the lead investor in the largest team acquisition in SailGP. Led by founding Uber engineer Ryan McKillen, the investor group has purchased the United States SailGP Team.
Turner joins a long list of athletes who are members of the Avenue Sports Fund, including NFL stars DeAndre Hopkins, Malik Jackson, Roquan Smith and Kayvon Thibodeaux and world champion heavyweight boxer Deontay Wilder.
SailGP is a global sailing league, featuring 50-foot catamarans that are raced by 10 national teams. The squads compete across the world, including Los Angeles, Sydney and New York City for a $7.1 million cash pool.
One of the best EDGE prospects in the 2024 NFL draft, Dallas Turner is making a bold move. While most college athletes have signed endorsement deals and established nonprofits, the Bednarik Award finalist is putting his earned dollars to work with U.S. SailGP.
“I want to blaze a trail for kids to think outside the box, and my investment in the U.S. SailGP Team proves that you can start building your network even while still in school,” he said in a statement.
Turner is one of the nation’s top pass rushers, recording a team-high 12.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks. He ranks ninth nationally in sacks. He’s also led the Tide with 13 quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Ahead of Alabama’s biggest matchup of the year – the SEC title game against Georgia – Turner has made an unprecedented NIL move. Avenue Capital Group recently launched Avenue Sports Fund; the U.S. SailGP team is the second investment for the fund.
“The investment by the Avenue Sports Fund in the U.S. SailGP Team is a perfect fit for our strategy of supporting emerging sports and leagues to capitalize on the globalization of sports and related areas of potential rapid growth,” said Marc Lasry, Avenue Capital Group’s Chairman and CEO.
Dallas Turner’s growing NIL brand
A former five-star recruit, the lineman has been successful in the NIL space. He signed a deal with Miami-based PoetrYY Finance in September. The only banking platform that features dedicated solution services tailored for collegiate NIL earners, the platform offers account management tools for tracking NIL agreements.
He’s also promoted Kane Footwear, which now boasts an expanded collegiate collection with 16 schools. Turner participated in the campaign with Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., Clemson linebacker Barrett Carter, USC safety Calen Bullock and Texas linebacker Anthony Hill.
The EDGE rusher also has partnerships with B Generous and My Gameday Shop. A win on Saturday could secure a College Football Playoff berth for Alabama, only helping the defensive star’s marketability. Bama is No. 8 in the latest CFP rankings released Tuesday night, touting an 11-1 record with the lone loss coming to Texas.
Turner holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $736,000, which ranks in the top 40 of college football. With nearly 50,000 social media followers, his valuation sits at No. 57 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.
About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value
While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.