Friends of Nova’s Randy Foye, Ash Howard serve as ‘the engine’ for NIL at Villanova

On the LLC side, Foye said the student-athletes can promote their partnerships through social media, and local companies and businesses pay student-athletes to promote their brands.

“Those companies use their name, image and likeness and in return, the athletes post to their followers and direct them towards those companies.”

Foye said the student-athletes have representation and can get deals on their own. It is how some Villanova stars have been able to cash in on NIL opportunities. According to Foye, star senior guard Justin Moore has an apparel deal where he sells t-shirts with his name on the back.

Foye said one person who is doing really well in the NIL space is Maddy Siegrist.

Siegrist is Villanova’s women’s basketball sensation, who was recently named to the AP All-American first team. She, along with the stars of the men’s basketball team, are very popular on campus and Foye said their NIL merchandise are big sellers on campus.

“Maddy is in the midst right now in doing the same thing (as Moore),” Foye explained. “They also have a thing where if you buy ‘X’ amount of things at the bookstore the kids can earn off selling their shirzee (a term for a t-shirt that looks like a jersey with the name of the team on the front and the number and name of the player on the back).”

“There’s a lot of buzz around Maddy Siegrist, because of the phenomenal record-breaking year,” Foye said. “There’s a lot of buzz around Justin Moore, Eric Dixon, and a lot of our other guys. We set the tone for our student-athletes to go out there. This is a fan-driven and alumni-driven platform for our fans and alumni to be able to support their student-athletes. But also, there are partnerships in place. If someone wanted to do a partnership and wanted student-athletes to represent one of their companies, that’s also a possibility. And that’s a deal we can make.”

As an ex-NBA player who made a good deal of money and managing it well, Foye acts as a guidance counselor of sorts when it comes to NIL. He knows some kids may or may not make the next level, but he wants to be a voice Villanova student-athletes can lean on for guidance, especially when it comes to handling finances.

Foye stressed it is a team effort at Friends of Nova. Between parents, the players, the coaching staff and the collective, they all are behind its inherent importance. He doesn’t want any student-athlete to fall into any potential pitfalls with bad-faith actors.

“We don’t want any kid to be hurt dealing with name, image and likeness,” Foye said. “Because the ecosystem continues to change and obviously it’s a million-dollar industry right now. We’ve been reaching out from all angles just figuring out how they can represent companies. But everything we try to do is to make sure it’s the right deal.”

Foye continued: “We got to make sure these kids understand that these are some great years to earn while you’re still young. You don’t really have any debt or any bills. So the most important thing is for them to understand how to take care of your money. I have conversations with guys all the time about this being a great time to invest your money.”

While Foye had a successful NBA career and has established financial stability, he never got to live the NIL experience in his college days.

Foye said he probably could have cashed in on NIL deals, especially his junior season when he thought about declaring for the NBA Draft. But he decided to come back and finish an illustrious college career because of his relationship with legendary head coach Jay Wright. Foye ended his Villanova career as the Big East Player of the Year in 2006, while also being named to the All-American first team.

Foye was then selected as the No. 7 pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He is not jealous one bit, but Foye realizes that he could have benefited from NIL if it existed during his pre-NBA days. Nevertheless, he takes comfort in assisting those who have that opportunity afforded to them now.

“There are no hard feelings towards these guys at all,” Foye said. “Everything changes. Just look at how college basketball, college football and how sports have evolved over the years. It seems like everything is working in the player’s favor. As an alum and former player, I look it at as a plus. These student-athletes are able to earn in some of the best times of their lives.”

This is the current climate college sports finds itself in and to adapt, Foye and Friends of Nova just want to counsel the next stars of Villanova’s athletic program while they get paid in the process.