HawgBeat - Yurachek on Arkansas' NIL funding: 'We need a grassroots effort'
Arkansas AD Hunter Yurachek talks how much NIL funding the Razorbacks need, plus their goal for Arkansas Edge members.
arkansas.rivals.com
Arkansas vice chancellor and director of athletics Hunter Yurachek is currently traveling across the state with select coaches for the ONE Razorback Road Show, which is a bus tour to allow fans the opportunity to hear from those leading the athletics program.
It's no secret that a big part of events such at the Razorback Road Show is to help raise funds. In today's college football era, a big part of the fundraising effort is for Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) funding.
Yurachek did an interview on "The Morning Rush" with Tye Richardson and Tommy Craft on Wednesday and provided some clarity on just how much the athletic department is having to spend on NIL per year.
"It's a seven-to-eight figure number, without putting a specific figure on it, that is what is being spent in NIL across your football, basketball, baseball and women's basketball programs in the SEC," Yurachek said.
ALSO READ: Pittman sheds light on raising NIL funds for Arkansas football
With the hiring of John Calipari as men's basketball coach April 10, the Razorbacks were all over the national news cycle thanks to reports of Tyson Foods chairman John Tyson reportedly making a large financial commitment towards NIL funding for Calipari's team.
While Tyson explained in a recent podcast interview that he didn't just write a big check and call it good, he is going to be helping out. That specific reporting might be something that has hurt the Razorbacks, or at least there has been an effort to clear it up.
During Calipari's introductory press conference, Yurachek made it clear that Arkansas still needs help with NIL funds from everyone, and he reiterated that Wednesday morning.
"We have a great top-end donor base at the University of Arkansas," Yurachek said. "People that have been incredibly generous families that have been incredibly generous to us. But if we're going to be successful year after year in the name, image and likeness programs and compete in the SEC, we need very much a grassroots effort.
"We need people across this state regardless of their means, whether they can give $25/month, $50/month, $100/month. If we can get 10,000 people to be a member of our Arkansas Edge NIL collective and give something consistent every month that we can plan for, that's how we're going to be successful. That's how other programs have been successful in this NIL game."
Part of the need for fans to help out, Yurachek said, is because a lot of the bigger donors are seeing their money go towards facility renovations.
"We just can't from person to person say somebody else is going to take care of that for us," Yurachek said. "We still have some facility needs. The renovation at Bud Walton Arena we have to have in addition to our soccer stadium and our softball stadium so we can continue to compete in those sports. We have donors that will help us with that, but they can't help us with that and also help us with NIL.
"We have this ONE Razorback theme, 'Only Need Everyone,' O-N-E. That's because we only need everyone across the state if they can contribute something to name, image and likenesses, we need them to go the Arkansas Edge website and do so and that's how we're going to be successful."
Football head coach Sam Pittman and other head coaches have been on the road with Yurachek, as has Calipari, who already seems to be laying groundwork with Stephens Inc. CEO Warren Stephens.
Calipari was also in Dallas on Monday for the Mavericks' game against the Oklahoma City Thunder to see former Kentucky Wildcats he coached, plus former Razorbacks Daniel Gafford for the Mavericks and Isaiah Joe and Jaylin Williams for the Thunder.
The Head Hog mentioned Tuesday evening to reporters that he also met with former Razorback and owner of the Dallas Cowboys, Jerry Jones, while he was there.
