Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal
- Crimson Collective, which connects Utah athletes with NILs, funded it all
- Sponsors pay for the leases on the truck, which has an MSRP of $43,970
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All 85 players on Utah’s football team will soon be driving to practice in style as they each received a 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn truck, leased to them for one year.
The Utes’ brand new trucks were funded in large part by Crimson Collective, an organization that connects Utah athletes with name, image and image endorsements.
To receive a truck, the players must agree to promote the Crimson Collective to help it boost NIL opportunities for other student-athletes. They will also be encouraged to do community service and must have a good driving record, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.
Each truck will feature an ad for streaming app For The Win 360 (FTW360), a co-sponsor of the deal, Yahoo Sports! also reported. The sponsors are paying for the leases on the truck, which has an MSRP of $43,970, as well as the insurance, according to the report.
The leases will roll over as long as a player remains on the team. Anyone with ineligibility or transfers will need to turn it in.
![Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal 1 Players on Utah's football team received a brand new Dodge Ram 1500 as part of a NIL deal](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/Incredible-moment-the-Utah-football-team-find-out-the-ENTIRE.jpg)
Players on Utah’s football team received a brand new Dodge Ram 1500 as part of a NIL deal
![Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal 3 Sponsors pay for the leases of the truck, which has an M$43,970, as well as the insurance](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1696864484_452_Incredible-moment-the-Utah-football-team-find-out-the-ENTIRE.jpg)
Sponsors pay for the truck’s leases, which have an MSRP of $43,970, and insurance
![Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal 5 It was funded by Crimson Collective - a non-profit that connects Utah athletes with NIL deals](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1696864486_502_Incredible-moment-the-Utah-football-team-find-out-the-ENTIRE.jpg)
It was funded by Crimson Collective – a non-profit that connects Utah athletes with NIL deals
![Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal 7 Players went crazy once they found out that they would be receiving free trucks earlier this month](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1696864488_892_Incredible-moment-the-Utah-football-team-find-out-the-ENTIRE.jpg)
Players went crazy once they found out that they would be receiving free trucks earlier this month
“Honestly, I can’t even believe it. It still seems unreal, man,” Junior Tafuna told the defense The Tribune. “But just grateful for the opportunity that we can get one.”
Dignitaries on hand when the players learned they would receive a truck acknowledged that Utah must jump deep into the NIL game to recruit the top student-athletes.
Utah is moving to the Big 12 in 2024, which has traditionally been a hotbed for high school football.
“I know we can all do more,” athletic director Mark Harlan said. ‘So my challenge to everyone here and then outside this room is that we all need to lean into NIL. It is here. … So let it not be said that this is not a huge priority of this athletic department, and this athletic director.’
![Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal 9 Leases for the truck will roll over as long as a player stays on the team and has a good reputation](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1696864489_810_Incredible-moment-the-Utah-football-team-find-out-the-ENTIRE.jpg)
Leases for the truck will roll over as long as a player stays on the team and has a good reputation
![Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal 11 Inside the Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn truck is an interactive digital dashboard between seats](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1696864491_608_Incredible-moment-the-Utah-football-team-find-out-the-ENTIRE.jpg)
Inside the Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn truck is an interactive digital dashboard between seats
![Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal 13 Anyone ineligible (including graduation) or transfers will have to surrender the truck](https://nybreaking.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/1696864493_550_Incredible-moment-the-Utah-football-team-find-out-the-ENTIRE.jpg)
Anyone ineligible (including graduation) or transfers will have to surrender the truck
Kyle Whittingham, who took over coaching duties at Utah from Urban Meyer at the end of the 2004 season, said NIL availability is becoming a reality.
“It’s huge for our players, it’s huge for recruiting going forward. It’s going to … give us a leg up in terms of recruiting, and that’s what it’s all about,” he said.
No. 16 Utah (4-1) will host Cal on Saturday.
The Utes are the Pac 12’s fifth seed while the Golden Bears are above Stanford and Arizona State with a 3-3 record.