Incredible moment the Utah football team find out the ENTIRE 85-strong roster is being gifted a brand new Dodge Ram truck as part of NIL deal

All 85 players on Utah’s football team will soon be driving to practice in style, as they each received a 2024 Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn truck, leased for them for one year. 

The Utes’ brand new trucks have been funded largely by Crimson Collective, an organization that puts Utah athletes in touch with name, image and likeness deals.

To receive a truck, the players must agree to promote the Crimson Collective to help it boost NIL opportunities for other student-athletes. They also will be encouraged to do community service and must have a good driving record, according to The Salt Lake Tribune.

Each truck will bear an ad for the streaming app For The Win 360 (FTW360), a co-sponsor of the deal, Yahoo Sports! also reported. The sponsors are paying for the leases of the truck, which has an MSRP of $43,970, as well as the insurance, per the report. 

The leases will roll over as long as a player remains on the team. Anyone who is out of eligibility or transfers will need to turn it in.

Sponsors are paying for the leases of the truck, which has an MSRP of $43,970, and insurance

It was funded by Crimson Collective – a non profit putting Utah athletes in touch with NIL deals

Players went crazy as soon as they learnt that they’d be receiving free trucks earlier this month

‘Honestly, I can’t even believe it. It still seems unreal, man,’ defensive tackle Junior Tafuna told The Tribune. ‘But just grateful for the opportunity that we’re able to get one.’

Dignitaries on hand when the players learned they would be receiving a truck admitted Utah must jump deeply into the NIL game to recruit the top student-athletes. 

Utah is moving to the Big 12 in 2024, which traditionally has been a hotbed for high school football.

‘I know we can all do more,’ athletic director Mark Harlan said. ‘So my challenge to everyone here and then outside of this room is we all need to lean into NIL. It is here. … So let it not be said that it’s not a huge priority of this athletic department, and this athletic director.’

Leases for the truck will roll over as long as a player stays on the team and is in good standing

Inside the Dodge Ram 1500 Big Horn truck is an interactive digital dashboard in between seats

Anyone who’s out of eligibility (graduation included) or transfers will need to turn the truck in

Kyle Whittingham, who took over the coaching duties at Utah from Urban Meyer at the end of the 2004 season, said NIL availability is recruiting reality.

‘This is huge for our players, it’s huge for recruiting going forward. This is going to … give us a leg up on recruiting, which is what it’s all about,’ he said.

No. 16 Utah (4-1) will host Cal on Saturday. 

The Utes are the Pac 12’s fifth seed while the Golden Bears are above Stanford and Arizona State with a 3-3 record.