[Goose]

I mean, they would be boosters by definition and prohibited from contacting student athletes on behalf of programs iirc?  I know it's impossible to regulate communication in this day and age, but if the rule exists and other programs are violating it...ugh ugh ugh.

De facto, the are boosters. De jure, that may not be so clear. If somebody company officially says "We would be interested in giving you a contract to be our spokesperson if you were local", the message is clear but nowhere is the name of the institution that is a member of the NCAA even mentioned. What constitutes "arm's length" is a bit murky. If it was a NIL collective, this wouldn't work, but individuals or businesses would be tough to classify as "boosters" if nowhere (on the record) was the school even mentioned.

[Goose]

I mean, they would be boosters by definition and prohibited from contacting student athletes on behalf of programs iirc?  I know it's impossible to regulate communication in this day and age, but if the rule exists and other programs are violating it...ugh ugh ugh.

De facto, the are boosters. De jure, that may not be so clear. If somebody company officially says "We would be interested in giving you a contract to be our spokesperson if you were local", the message is clear but nowhere is the name of the institution that is a member of the NCAA even mentioned. What constitutes "arm's length" is a bit murky. If it was a NIL collective, this wouldn't work, but individuals or businesses would be tough to classify as "boosters" if nowhere (on the record) was the school even mentioned.