The House v. NCAA settlement introduced several major changes to college athletics, most notably allowing schools to share revenue directly with athletes. This means universities no longer need to rely solely on third-party NIL collectives to compensate players—they can now handle those financial arrangements themselves. Still, collectives haven’t disappeared. At N.C. State, One Pack NIL and its football-focused branch, Savage Wolves, remain engaged with the athletic department, though their role has shifted.
“There was a time six, eight months ago when everyone thought, ‘All right, we’re going to shut down all of our collectives,’” N.C. State Athletic Director Boo Corrigan said at a news conference earlier this month. “That was the general perception. But we didn’t. Instead, we asked, ‘What role can One Pack continue to play moving forward?’”
There are still questions about how One Pack will function under the new rules. Corrigan pointed to the NIL Go system, operated by the College Sports Commission, which now reviews all third-party NIL deals. While schools handle direct revenue sharing, athletes can still sign outside NIL agreements as long as they are vetted for compliance and fair market value.
At Saturday’s Meet the Pack event, One Pack Executive Director Chris Vurnakes acknowledged that the collective’s role has narrowed but said it remains focused on opportunities beyond revenue sharing. “Our collective is very focused on finding NIL opportunities for our student-athletes in the community, above and beyond the things that they’re doing for revenue share,” Vurnakes said. “That means things like meet and greets, autograph signings, and growing the corporate side of what we do.”
Initially, collectives were not recognized as independent businesses, which raised the possibility they would be dissolved. A new ruling, however, allows them to continue operating as independent entities. One Pack, with the help of Blueprint Sports, has set up compliance safeguards to protect athletes’ eligibility.
Funding remains central to its mission. The organization offers monthly donations and recently launched a “round-up” program, where fans link a payment method and contribute spare change from purchases. Those contributions support NIL opportunities and grant donors exclusive perks, including access to scrimmages, early event invitations, team gear, and travel experiences.
Vurnakes stressed that One Pack operates separately from the Wolfpack Club, despite overlapping supporters. “Even though we are wholly committed to supporting NC State and our student-athletes, we’re just two separate entities with the same shared goal,” he said.
Looking ahead, Vurnakes emphasized collaboration with the university as key. “When collectives are in lockstep with their universities and athletic departments — which I feel is the case at NC State — there is success,” he said. “For three years, it’s been about meeting and exceeding expectations for our student-athletes. Now, with $20.5 million in revenue sharing coming from the school, we can be a supplement to that.”
Leave a Reply