JMI Sports Partners with Student Athlete Score to Strengthen NIL and Athlete Marketing Strategy for University of Kentucky Athletics
August 27, 2025
LEXINGTON, Ky. — JMI Sports has announced a new partnership with Student Athlete Score, an athlete marketing intelligence platform, to strengthen its support for the University of Kentucky’s name, image, and likeness (NIL) initiatives. This initiative aligns with the launch of BBNIL Suite, a new NIL collaborative jointly run by JMI Sports and UK Athletics. The BBNIL Suite will leverage insights from Student Athlete Score to drive its strategy and operations.
Designed as a centralized, full-service NIL program, BBNIL Suite provides UK student-athletes with streamlined access to deal procurement, content marketing, compliance, and contract fulfillment. By integrating Student Athlete Score’s real-time data and analytics, BBNIL Suite enhances its offerings, helping UK set a new standard for student-athlete support and success in the NIL era.
“As we developed the vision for BBNIL Suite with UK, we knew we needed a data and intelligence partner who truly understands the metrics that matter to brand partners,” said Kim Shelton, Senior Vice President of NIL Strategy and Executive Director of UK NIL at JMI Sports. “By combining Student Athlete Score’s cutting-edge analytics with our expert brand management, BBNIL Suite empowers UK to deliver targeted, measurable results for student-athletes and partners alike. This is a model for how data can drive smarter, more effective NIL outcomes.”
Through this engagement, BBNIL Suite gains access to Student Athlete Score’s platform, delivering real-time social media analytics, brand readiness insights, and benchmarking tools for all 500+ UK student-athletes. This allows UK’s corporate partners to better evaluate athlete marketability, uncover emerging opportunities, and build data-driven strategies for brand growth and engagement. The platform supports holistic NIL planning by centralizing key metrics into one easy-to-use system.
“We’re proud to support one of the most iconic brands in college athletics,” said Brent Wall, CEO of Student Athlete Score. “JMI Sports and UK are making a strong investment in the future of athlete marketing. This partnership gives their student-athletes a real edge by combining data, storytelling, and strategy in a powerful way.”
JMI Sports, operating locally as UK Sports & Campus Marketing, has served as UK’s multimedia rights partner since 2014 and recently announced a long-term extension of their relationship through 2040 in a deal valued at an estimated $465 million. Leveraging its 200+ brand partnerships and longstanding campus relationships, UK Sports & Campus Marketing will integrate Student Athlete Score’s insights to help power BBNIL Suite, enabling student-athletes and corporate partners to maximize NIL value.
This partnership also expands Student Athlete Score’s growing presence in the SEC, joining a list of top athletic programs already using the platform to drive NIL strategy and student-athlete success.
Media Contacts
Student Athlete Score
Brent Wall – CEO – Co-Founder
brent@studentathletescore.com
JMI Sports / UK Sports & Campus Marketing
Solana Chatfield – Manager, External Communications
s.chatfield@jmisports.com
