MARSHALL, Texas – East Texas Baptist University (ETBU) has joined Opendorse Ready, the Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) Education Solution, as part of a new program designed to help student-athletes understand and maximize their NIL value as rule changes approach in college sports. The new partnership makes ETBU the first non-Division I athletics department, and just the fourth institution in Texas, to provide Opendorse Ready resources to student-athletes. Earlier this spring, ETBU was recognized as the Opendorse "Non-Power 5 Rookie of the Year" in their first year of using the product.

"We could not be more honored to partner with Opendorse and their new platform Opendorse Ready," ETBU Vice President for Student Engagement and Athletics Ryan Erwin shared. "Opendorse has provided ETBU a great product this past year and we are excited about the future, as we continue to strive to educate our students with their presence on social media.  ETBU Athletics strives for excellence within our department and we have been blessed with high caliber student-athletes, who desire to be in a Christ-centered program."
 
Opendorse Ready is the elite NIL education solution in college athletics today. It is currently used by more than 30 top college athletics programs including Clemson, Florida, and Ohio State Athletics. Ready provides student-athletes with industry-proven assessment, education, and performance tools to understand, build, and protect their personal brands.  
 
With Ready, ETBU will provide student-athletes with custom brand value assessments, live consultation sessions with industry leaders, and on-demand access to the NIL Masterclass, an education series featuring experts on brand building, monetization, and financial literacy from leading brands including Instagram, Twitter, the Players' Tribune, and Overtime. 
 
"It's our vision to help every athlete," said Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence. "And in the NIL era, valuable opportunities will not be restricted to only the biggest stars in Power 5 programs. Athletes at every level can build valuable audiences and connect with local fanbases, attracting attention from fans and potential partners. It's exciting to see ETBU's foresight and commitment to helping athletes be prepared to make the most of this new era."
 
ETBU's social media network is one of the top in NCAA Division III and has the top Twitter team accounts for baseball, softball, men's basketball, women's soccer, and top five for football, volleyball, and men's soccer. They also boast the top social media network for Division III in Texas.
 
"This is a great moment in the life of our student-athletes to be able to help them better their social media presence and educate them on how to build their brand. We have always taken social media education seriously at ETBU and this program will take it to the next level. I am excited to help lead the way for non-Division I programs in this new era. We want the best for our student-athletes and being the first in this program will continue to set that standard," said Assistant Athletic Director for Communications Adam P. Ledyard.
 
The student-athletes at ETBU are already familiar with Opendorse after using the product for one year. In that time, ETBU has produced over 9,000 downloads from their student-athletes for use on social media.
 
About ETBU
ETBU is a NCAA Division III institution in Marshall, Texas, that sponsors 22 sports and competes in the American Southwest Conference. ETBU is a Christ-centered institution that educates students by integrating biblical faith and learning to develop mind, body, and soul through community engagement to prepare graduates to be Christian servant leaders in their calling to God and humanity.
 
About Opendorse
Opendorse is the sports technology company that maximizes endorsement value for athletes. Today more than 40,000 athletes around the world use Opendorse to understand, build, protect, and monetize their brands with support from partners including the PGA TOUR, NHL, NFLPA, MLBPA, WNBPA, LPGA, over 100 professional and collegiate sports teams, and hundreds of brands. From All-Americans to All-Pros – when athletes connect with their organizations, brands, or fans – they do it with Opendorse.
 
To learn more about Opendorse, visit https://opendorse.com/