To say it’s been a turbulent past few days for BYU men’s basketball would be an understatement.
With Mark Pope bolting for Kentucky and a number of Cougars entering the transfer portal, uncertainty abounds in Provo.
BYU has yet to hire a new head coach and its roster could look completely different from last year’s team that finished fifth in the Big 12.
Tom Holmoe understands all this, and the school’s longtime athletic director has a solution: continuing to support BYU’s NIL efforts.
“Here at BYU, we are different,” Holmoe said in a video posted to X on Saturday. “We build different. We’ve always had to approach athletics in a way that’s different. We have a different focus and a different mission.”
He continued, “Different can be really good. As an athletic department and with the increased support of our collective, the Royal Blue, we are doing NIL different and in a way that can be really good. We have the ability to compete, to recruit and retain like never before. Now, more than ever, as we look to build off our men’s basketball program’s great success last season and maintain stability, we can all help.”
The Royal Blue collective was introduced in December 2022 as BYU’s officially licensed collective, tasked with raising funds from fans, alumni and businesses to “help facilitate NIL deals and build the brands of student-athletes.”
While operating independently from the school, The Royal Blue signed a corporate sponsorship agreement with BYU and works closely alongside the athletic department to provide “beneficial and substantive opportunities” for student-athletes, as the Deseret News previously reported.
Having strong collective support is crucial to on-field success in the ever-changing landscape of college athletics. Holmoe stressed its importance in the basketball context as he urged Cougar fans to get behind The Royal Blue’s NIL efforts.
“Our collective is an important part of our stability moving forward,” Holmoe said. “The Royal Blue is there to take care of our current players, our future players once they’re here and our future coach. Be involved, be engaged, be in our venues, cheer on our teams, support the collective, support our beloved athletes. Amazing things are coming for BYU athletics.”