In today’s college football landscape, building a roster requires name, image and likeness money, and the Gophers received good news in that department this week.
Nepsis Inc., a Minneapolis-based registered investment advisory firm, announced it has partnered with Dinkytown Athletes, the University of Minnesota athletic department’s approved NIL collective, on a Million Dollar Match campaign. Nepsis has pledged to match every new and upgraded membership contribution and donations to DTA, up to $1 million, through Nov. 10. The funds will benefit the Gophers football and volleyball programs.
Nepsis, founded by Mark Pearson, also has started a Mentoring with Clarity program, which will help educate Gophers student-athletes in all aspects of their financial lives. He became involved after meeting coach P.J. Fleck.
“It’s been a long time in the works, and I couldn’t be more excited about multiple things happening, including helping Coach Fleck and the Gophers,” said Pearson, a 1987 Minnesota graduate. “Coach and I really hit it off on a personal level. He thinks a lot the way I do in terms of what he does in mentoring young men to prepare them for life. Football is just a stop along the way in a life’s journey.”
Pearson believes the mission of Nepsis meshes well with the changing landscape in college athletics.
“With the NIL and things changing, you have young men with loads of money,” he said. “There’s people a lot older who don’t know how to manage their money, let alone an 18-, 19-, 20-year-old kid. Our mantra at Nepsis and my passion is multiplying the talents — not just money, but skill sets, giving back.”
Gophers athletic director Mark Coyle praised Pearson and Nepsis for the venture. He also acknowledged how college sports are changing and how money plays a role.
“NIL is not going away, and I promise you, our kids are doing work,” Coyle said on the KFXN-FM pregame show. “They’re doing this the right way.”
