Purdue Athletics Proves Dedication to NIL with New Associate AD Position

In the wake of a losing football season and the search for a new head football coach, Purdue University announced the opening of a new position, an associate athletics director – resource management.

The new position will manage the revenue-sharing model for current and future Boilermaker student-athletes, and it will oversee the allocation of funds from the House vs. NCAA settlement to student-athletes dating back to 2016.

The IndyStar reported that, “According to the job posting, the hire will plan, evaluate, track and distribute the revenue shares to student-athletes.”

"This position will take on the responsibility of ensuring that Purdue Athletics is maintaining the highest commitment to competitive excellence in the Big Ten Conference as well as the national landscape of college athletics,” said the job description. “While also ensuring Purdue’s longstanding commitment to compliance with all rules and regulations.”

Part of Purdue’s motivation in creating this new position is the athletic department’s renewed dedication to NIL. Mike Bobinski, director of athletics at Purdue, told the Indy Star that the university needs a more progressive approach to NIL. Purdue’s associate athletics director – resource management has similar counterparts at universities across the country, evidenced by the 47 “NIL Manager” jobs currently open on LinkedIn.

Said Bobinski, “The last two-and-a-half to three years, the NIL and way it evolved were very different. That world did not advantage Purdue. That world was a challenge for us for a variety of reasons. Our folks don't necessarily respond normally to the way NIL evolved in the recent past.

“That's going to change moving forward. I think that will bring the world back to us in a very positive way,” Bobinski continued. “We need a (football) coach that understands that, that embraces that, (who) understands a new world is going to require a new way of thinking. You can’t dislike the way things have evolved. Because they have evolved and you’ve got to be able to thrive in that.”