Legacy Frogs at TCU: A Student-Led Approach to NIL Support and Athlete Branding
By Kalei MahiWhat happens when you combine a campus full of motivated student-athletes with business majors who are itching to put their lectures and homework into practice?
You get something like Legacy Frogs - a student-run NIL initiative at Texas Christian University that’s redefining how student-athletes can build their brands and how universities can support them from within.
What is Legacy Frogs?
Launched in 2024 by three business students through TCU’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Legacy Frogs pairs student-athletes with peers in business and marketing. Their mission is to help athletes create high-quality content, navigate NIL opportunities, and strengthen their personal brand without relying on outside agencies.
Why Legacy Frogs Matters
Athletes Get Direct Support: Student-athletes struggle to keep up with brand content demands on top of their training and class schedules. Legacy Frogs gives them an in-house option to film content, brainstorm ideas, and get help executing their strategy quickly and efficiently.
Students Gain Experience: For business students involved, this isn’t theoretical work they learned about in their lectures. IT’s marketing, content creation and brand building in action. They learn valuable skills that translate to future careers. They become part of a growing network of alumni who understand NIL from both sides.
It Helps TCU Stand Out in Recruiting: In the competitive world of college recruiting and retention, NIL support is a big factor. Imagine a family choosing between two schools. One offers a basic NIL portal with limited to no support. The other has a student-led content team ready to help from day one. Legacy Frogs gives TCU a big edge.
Challenges to Watch
Like any grassroots program, Legacy Frogs has a few hurdles:
Maintaining content quality across different student contributors
Keeping up with NCAA compliance guidelines
Ensuring proper oversight as the initiative grows
While the program is currently volunteer-driven and not tied to academic credit or compensation, any expansion would need to carefully navigate potential conflicts of interest.
Why This Should Be on Your Radar
Whether you’re in NIL strategy, college marketing, or sports business development, initiatives like Legacy Frogs offer a look into what’s next. Schools that invest in student-powered NIL infrastructure are creating more than just content. They’re also creating opportunity.
Legacy Frogs proves that a campus-based, collaborative approach can support athletes and develop future marketing leaders at the same time.