Texas Christian University triathlete Maddie Perkins has qualified for the NCAA national championships several times, and the seasoned college athlete uses her name, image and likeness to secure brand, or NIL deals.
For Perkins, a master’s student in biology, it’s been hard to balance it all: academics, athletics and building her social media presence. But a new TCU student group called Legacy Frogs is freeing her up to do what she does best.
“I train a lot, and so I can get videos of me training, but editing them takes a really long time,” Perkins said. “It takes a lot of the weight off of my shoulders, of having to film everything, edit it and then schedule it and post it.”
Legacy Frogs, created by three business students in 2024, is part of the university’s game plan for what TCU athletic director Mike Buddie called the “unwritten script” of college athletics. A recent $2.8 billion NCAA settlement paves the way for schools to pay athletes directly and requires outside deals to reflect fair market value — often assessed through social media metrics, Legacy Frogs’ specialty.
“It’s based on follower count, what school are you at? How many likes? Are you one of the best players on the team?” said Will Sturner, a business management senior and the president of Legacy Frogs. “There are so many factors that go into it, but social media outreach is definitely going to be over 50% of that equation.”
In the world of NIL deals, social media marketing accounts for a huge chunk of the money. With the influencer economy, the more social media presence you have, the better the deals.
Sturner started brainstorming about creating the group in September last year. He reached out to the university’s Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, and Legacy Frogs soon became a part of that machine. It’s a venture studio run by students for student-athletes. Players can stop by for help with their social media content or securing brand deals.
In some ways, the student group is swimming in a pool of big money with NIL collectives, but they’ve established their strokes. They’re not getting a cut — in fact they’re not making any money — but they’re gaining business and marketing skills as they help out student-athletes.
“We found our niche, and our niche is not those big market brand deals,” said Philip Rosenfeld Jr., the group’s executive vice president and a senior majoring in finance. “Everyone wants that $10,000 or $20,000 brand deal. But the local market with $100, $200 and $300 brand deals is so rich, and there’s so much to be had there.”
TCU basketball player Micah Robinson, right, triathlete Maddie Perkins and Philip Rosenfeld Jr., Legacy Frogs executive vice president, pose together on July 1, 2025, in the Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth. (Mary Abby Goss | Fort Worth Report)The group connects players to businesses that match their personality and lifestyle. Through the group, Perkins was able to secure deals with nutrition and wellness brand Just Ingredients and energy drink Gorgie.
Riley Richards, Legacy Frog’s vice president of brand development, asks athletes about the brands they like, their hobbies and interests.
“Most of what I do for sourcing brand deals comes from the athletes own personality and interests,” said Richards, a senior double majoring in entrepreneurship and management. “In the NIL space, the best way to gain traction and have a successful partnership is through authenticity.”
In the past few months, the group has focused on national businesses. In the coming months, Legacy Frogs will reach out to brands with Fort Worth locations such as Toppers, Smoothie King, Fuzzy’s Taco Shop and locally owned boutiques and stores.
One of the group’s first recruits was TCU basketball player Micah Robinson.
“If I could get Micah, I knew I would be able to have some proof of concept, as well as have a face for us,” said Sturner, who is also the head manager for the men’s basketball team.
Robinson, who was a freshman at the time, said the group has really helped transform his social media presence.
“I’ll post pictures from my games and that’s it,” said Robinson, who is a sophomore majoring in communications. “But they’ve really helped me get my personality out there because I feel like I’ve just never really expressed myself on social media.”
Through Legacy Frogs, he’s been able to secure deals with Incrediwear, an athletic recovery clothing brand, and Kane, a recovery footwear brand.
Sturner called the group’s first months the pilot phase. The team has grown from three to 10 students.
“We have some proof of concept,” Sturner said. “We’re ready to take on new athletes and are ready to see this grow.”
Legacy Frogs, he said, is ready for the new era of revenue sharing.
Shomial Ahmad is a higher education reporter for the Fort Worth Report, in partnership with Open Campus. Contact her at shomial.ahmad@fortworthreport.org.
The Report’s higher education coverage is supported in part by major higher education institutions in Tarrant County, including Tarleton State University, Tarrant County College, Texas A&M-Fort Worth, Texas Christian University, Texas Wesleyan University, the University of Texas at Arlington and UNT Health Science Center.
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