Xavier University NIL Deals

Picture Tre Carroll, the Big East’s leading scorer in 2025-26, walking off the floor at Cintas Center and stepping straight into a Fifth Third Bank commercial filmed across town. That’s not hypothetical — it’s the actual Xavier University NIL deals landscape in 2026, and it’s how the Musketeers are trying to claw back into the top half of one of the toughest basketball conferences in the country.

NIL — Name, Image, and Likeness — has rewritten what it means to play college basketball. Xavier athletes can now earn from brand deals, community appearances, and sponsorships in ways their predecessors never could. Here’s how it actually works, who’s involved, and how Cincinnati’s most passionate fan base is fueling it.

The Pitino Era and a Tripled Budget

Richard Pitino took over Xavier in March 2025 and went 14-17 in year one — the program’s second losing season in 30 years, and a school-record 14 conference losses. The Big East was unforgiving, and Xavier’s roster was undersized for the moment. According to reporting from the Cincinnati Enquirer and the Cincinnati Business Courier, Xavier ran the 2025-26 season on an NIL budget of roughly $5.5 million — below average for the Big East, where UConn, Creighton, and Villanova have set the financial pace.

For 2026-27, that number roughly tripled. The result? Xavier landed the #1-ranked incoming transfer class on On3Sports and #16 on 247Sports, headlined by Mike Nwoko (LSU), Rubén Dominguez (Texas A&M), Tru Washington (Miami), Rolyns Aligbe (Southern Illinois), and Braden Appelhans (Drake). Five of the seven transfers averaged double figures last season. In a college basketball world where roster construction has been reshaped by NIL and revenue sharing, Xavier is positioning itself to compete at a higher level in the Big East.

Real Brand Deals: Team Fifth Third

The clearest example of Xavier NIL working as designed is Fifth Third Bank’s “Team Fifth Third” program. Downtown Cincinnati-based Fifth Third signed 30 college basketball players for 2025-26, with four Xavier athletes in the group: men’s stars Tre Carroll, Anthony Robinson, and Hamilton, Ohio native Ian Sabourin, plus women’s player MacKenzie Givens. Former Xavier guard Ryan Conwell — now at Louisville — is the program’s captain.

The athletes get paid to tell their stories on Fifth Third’s channels, plus financial education and tools to manage their earnings. It’s the model NIL is supposed to encourage: real local business + real student-athletes + real marketing work. Fifth Third launched the program with 26 athletes in year one, expanded to 39 mid-season, and started 2025-26 with 30 — proof that brand-side NIL in Cincinnati is scaling, not retreating.

FINAL 2%: Xavier’s Official Collective

Brand deals are one half of the equation. The other half is the collective. FINAL 2% is Xavier’s officially recognized NIL collective — a fan-funded 501(c) entity (EIN 88-1149236) that connects Xavier student-athletes with Greater Cincinnati non-profits. It’s deliberately community-service-focused: athletes earn through volunteer appearances, panel discussions, and charitable partnerships with organizations like 1N5, a Cincinnati-based mental health non-profit.

That mission matters because NIL collectives are not all built the same. Some are essentially payroll vehicles. FINAL 2% is something different — student-athletes get compensated for legitimate community work, the non-profit partners get free access to a Xavier athlete’s platform, and Cincinnati gets the benefit of having its college stars actually show up to youth camps and food drives.

FINAL 2% isn’t directly affiliated with Xavier University (NCAA rules require that separation), but the collective coordinates with the school on compliance and disclosure. Fans can contribute through the FINAL 2% donation portal.

How Fans Can Get Involved

The Cincinnati Skyline Chili Crosstown Shootout against UC is still the loudest night on the calendar, but supporting Xavier basketball now extends well past tip-off. Fans have three real pathways:

• Donate to FINAL 2% to fund the community-service NIL pipeline.
• Engage with athletes on social media — every follow, share, and comment increases a Xavier player’s marketable platform.
• Use verified NIL platforms like RallyFuel, which lets fans purchase conditional NIL engagements that may convert into an NIL agreement if an enrolled Xavier athlete voluntarily participates. It’s not a recruiting tool and it’s not a direct payment to a player — it’s a compliant pathway that operates through third-party payment processors. If you want to look around, Xavier’s RallyFuel team page is the starting point.

Curious about the legal framework? RallyFuel’s breakdown of Ohio NIL laws and rules covers what’s allowed in the state, and the overview of Ohio’s Olympic and non-revenue sports landscape is a useful read for fans whose interest goes beyond basketball.

Why It Matters for Xavier’s Future

Xavier basketball since 2004 has racked up 3 Elite Eights, 7 Sweet Sixteens, 21 NCAA tournament wins, and 9 conference championships. The Cintas Center has hosted more than 3.7 million fans since opening in 2000, averaging better than 98% capacity. None of that goes away in the NIL era — it just costs more to keep building. Pitino’s tripled roster budget, the Fifth Third brand pipeline, and the FINAL 2% community model are all parts of the same answer: Xavier is investing seriously in the modern game, and Cincinnati is investing right alongside it.

Q&A

What is NIL, and how does it apply to Xavier student-athletes? NIL stands for Name, Image, and Likeness — the framework that lets college athletes earn from their personal brands. Xavier athletes can be paid for sponsorships, appearances, social media work, and community events, all separate from the new revenue-sharing system that lets schools pay athletes up to $20.5 million per year collectively. NIL deals now run through a clearinghouse to ensure they reflect fair market value.

What is FINAL 2%, and how is it different from Xavier University? FINAL 2% is Xavier’s officially recognized NIL collective, but it operates as an independent 501(c) entity rather than as a university department — current NCAA rules require that separation. It pools fan donations to compensate Xavier student-athletes for community service work with Greater Cincinnati non-profits like 1N5. It’s structured around volunteer impact rather than pay-for-play.

Who are some Xavier athletes with active NIL deals right now? Tre Carroll (the Big East’s leading scorer in 2025-26), Anthony Robinson, and Ian Sabourin from the men’s team, plus MacKenzie Givens from the women’s team, are all part of Fifth Third Bank’s “Team Fifth Third” NIL roster. Former Musketeer Ryan Conwell — now at Louisville — is the program’s captain.

How are NIL deals kept compliant with NCAA and Xavier rules? Three layers: school-level compliance review, the new NCAA clearinghouse for market-value validation, and platform-level safeguards like the conditional engagement structure used by RallyFuel and the documentation standards used by direct brand programs like Team Fifth Third. The goal is to keep payments tied to legitimate work rather than to athletic performance or recruiting.

I’m a fan — what’s the best way to support Xavier athletes right now? Three concrete actions: donate to FINAL 2% to fund the community-service NIL pipeline; follow and engage with Xavier athletes on social media to grow their marketable platforms; and explore verified NIL platforms like RallyFuel to participate in compliant fan-funded engagements. Each one strengthens the Musketeers ecosystem in a different way.