12 former Huskers who would have thrived in the NIL era | Football

Name, image, and likeness has only been around for a couple years, and while the sweeping changes to the college sports landscape have drastically altered financial opportunities for college athletes, there are generations of Huskers who never got the opportunity to profit from their names and their performances on the field.

With that in mind, here’s a look at 12 former Huskers who could have made a pretty penny had NIL been around in their playing days.

Maybe the easiest on the whole list. Brash, cocky, and outspoken, Thomas also had one of the great nicknames in program history, one that lends itself to a great marketing campaign: The Sandman. Doesn’t hurt either that Thomas is one of the best linebackers ever to wear the scarlet and cream.

The personality. The on-field production. And, of course, the hair. Bell’s afro is a built-in logo that would have been ready-made for any business in Lincoln. Watch Bell’s forays into the media world in recent years, and it’s easy to see how well he would have done with NIL.

Another linebacker whose colorful personality matched up with his hard-hitting style on the field. Murtaugh remains one of the most quotable Huskers out there, and likely would have had no trouble picking up endorsements around town.

Nebraska native, Heisman Trophy winner, movie star looks. Crouch had the right mix for NIL stardom. And had NIL been around when Crouch was playing, he would have made a pretty penny after he appeared on the cover for the video game NCAA College Football 2K3.

Could have made a fortune selling hats alone. One of the best to ever play at one of NU’s premier positions, Rozier’s impossibly good numbers and national relevance would have made him a NIL star.

Imagine the Jet doing ads for the Lincoln airport. Or any airport. Or anything else, considering he was Nebraska’s first Heisman winner and helped lead the program to its first two national titles in 1970 and 1971. He’s proven to be a natural, too, picking up degrees in advertising and broadcasting long after his playing days at NU were over.

One of the most beloved Huskers. Walker, who became deaf at age 2 after contracting spinal meningitis, was at the center of one of the great goosebump moments in Memorial Stadium history when the NU crowd signed “applause” to him during pregame senior day ceremonies in November of 1990.

He played on some lousy teams, but is one of the program’s all-time greats. How popular was Novak? In his final game at Memorial Stadium, the crowd of 30,000 sang him Happy Birthday during NU’s win over Colorado to end the 1949 season. Another tailor-made nickname too: Train Wreck.

That Suh became buddies with Warren Buffett, and has also turned himself into a successful businessman, is enough to include him on this list. There’s also the matter of him being the most dominant player in college football in 2009, to the point that people still argue that he should have won the Heisman Trophy.

Mid-1990s offensive lines

Or really, any offensive line from Nebraska’s glory days. Pancakes, beef, you name it, and those guys would have had no problem making a pile of cash to help sell it. You really gonna say no to Aaron Taylor?

Since his playing days ended, Wistrom has started a foundation, opened a crossfit gym, become a licensed real estate agent, and become a director of marketing for a mortgage firm in Missouri. He was also an academic All-American at NU. Wouldn’t be hard for him to make a few bucks as one of the best defensive linemen in the nation.

An avid gamer for much of his life, Green would have been a natural promoter if college players could have profited off their name, image, and likeness in the mid-’90s as college football video games were beginning to take off. Pretty good running back, too.