Tulane collective selling NIL posters to support Children’s Hospital of New Orleans
Tulane was one of the best stories of college football’s bowl season after the Green Wave erased a 15-point deficit in the final 4 minutes to beat USC 46-45 in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.
The victory gave Tulane momentum on the recruiting trail with a class that ranked among the best in the AAC. The win also gave Tulane-focused NIL collective Fear The Wave momentum in its efforts to better support Green Wave student-athletes and retain top players.
And like other collectives across the country, Fear The Wave is using that energy to create a unique NIL opportunity that features team captains quarterback Michael Pratt, offensive lineman Sincere Haynesworth and linebackers Nick Anderson and Dorian Williams.
Fear The Wave is now selling limited edition 12×18 “Team Like No Other” NIL posters for $79.99 that include autographs from Pratt, Haynesworth, Anderson and Williams. The poster showcases the star players walking together arm-in-arm, along with coach Willie Fritz and the tagline of the “Greatest One-Season Turnaround in CFB History.”
According to Fear The Wave, a portion of the sales will be donated to the Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. Money from the sales will also be used to help support the collective and reward the star Tulane players included in the poster. Fear The Wave said the posters will be signed and ready to ship by the end of February.
Fear The Wave was launched in January 2022 as a crowd-sourced NIL program for Tulane student-athletes. In addition, Fear The Wave partners with Green Wave student-athletes to highlight charities and businesses in the New Orleans community. FTW says it has 501(c)(3) non-profit status with the IRS and donations to the collective can be tax deductible.
Tulane stars depart, some key ones return
After the successful season, it was no surprise to see a large number of Tulane players declare for the NFL draft, including Williams and Anderson.
The linebacker tandem led Tulane’s defense last season. Williams was also invited to the Senior Bowl after a season where he racked up 131 tackles including 81 solo tackles, five sacks, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and seven passes defended. His solo tackles are third-best in the country. Anderson had similarly impressive numbers with 113 total tackles, 62 solo tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and four passes defended.
But the good news is that Michael Pratt is back after his career day in the Cotton Bowl. He had nearly 450 yards of total offense by himself, throwing for 394 yards and four touchdowns and rushing for 48 yards and a score. He threw for 3,010 yards and 27 touchdowns this past season. If he continues to put up big numbers he will have NFL options down the road and a growing On3 NIL Valuation.
Sincere Haynesworth is also returning for the 2023 season. Haynesworth, a first-team All-AAC pick and two-year co-captain just like Pratt, has started 36 consecutive games from 2020 to 2022 after making 11 appearances with five starts as a freshman in 2019. He participated in senior night ceremonies before Tulane’s final regular-season home game against SMU on Nov. 17 – leading everyone to believe he would apply for the NFL draft– but he was eligible for another season due to the free COVID year the NCAA granted all players in 2020.