The opening shot is tight, a close-up of a cross around an athlete’s neck. The only sound is the voice-over: “Senior year, I tore my ACL and it was brutal …”

The shot gets wider, revealing Texas Christian University sophomore linebacker Hudson Hooper running, cutting and talking about how his Incrediwear sleeve got him back in the game.  

“I didn’t know what to expect NIL (name, image and likeness) opportunities-wise,” Hooper admitted. “Senior year of high school, I tore my ACL, root tear of my meniscus and other stabilizers. After reaching out to multiple schools if they had a PWO (preferred walk on) opportunity, TCU was the first one to say: ‘Yes, we’d love to have you.’ I have not regretted that decision and have loved everything about TCU since I got here.” 

How Hooper, a walk-on linebacker majoring in mechanical engineering, ended up with a blossoming TikTok following and an array of NIL deals, is a story of athletic grit and the entrepreneurial spirit of TCU Neeley School of Business students. How Legacy Frogs, an idea of junior Will Sturner and seniors Philip Rosenfeld and Riley Richards, became a thriving student-run NIL agency is an “Only Here” story. 

“This is the only university I know of that, if anybody in our community can dream it, they can do it,” Chancellor Daniel W. Pullin said. “Whether it’s an idea that can strengthen our athletics department coming from a business faculty member or it’s a great idea from one of our student leaders, we will work together to make it possible.” 

The idea really started as a question. Sturner, a manager for TCU Men’s Basketball, wanted to know how athletes had time to create content that drives social media metrics — the real currency of assessing fair-market value for NIL. Thomas Montigel, an assistant athletics director with the team, casually threw out that they should start a student-run program.  

“Oh, and he said, ‘Talk to Rodney D’Souza,’” Sturner remembered. 

So, Sturner called his best friend, Rosenfeld, and they emailed D’Souza, an entrepreneurship professor and executive director of the Institute for Entrepreneurship and Innovation in TCU Neeley. 

“He hopped on a Zoom call with me the second I emailed him about wanting to learn about NIL,” Sturner said. 

Did they know D’Souza? Not in the least. 

“Rodney’s support has been critical. I mean, he’s been all-hands-on-deck with us since Day One,” Rosenfeld said. “The resources the school provided us were just beyond what we could have believed possible.” His best assist may have been referring them to Richards.  

“I mean, we had the idea,” Rosenfeld said, “but Legacy Frogs didn’t really start until Riley joined us. We were able to come together and form a kind of dream team.” 

They were the original NARPs, “non-athlete regular people” as they are referred to. Richards is a double major in entrepreneurship and management, a member of the John V. Roach Honors College and a whiz at branding. Sturner is a business marketing major who is chasing his dream to coach basketball. Rosenfeld, who played D-III basketball before transferring to TCU, is a finance major who already has a commercial banking job waiting for him in Dallas when he graduates in December.  

“The personal relationships are the best thing about TCU. This would not have formed if we didn’t have the unique experience that TCU offers,” Rosenfeld said.   

Richards agreed. 

“I can’t believe we’re here, honestly. From signing Micah Robinson, our first athlete, and now we’re bringing on athletes from all these different sports.” 

What started as Sturner, Rosenfeld, Richards and two athletes in December 2024, has become 23 Legacy Frogs team members and 13 student-athletes and is growing. Legacy Frogs is only one part of TCU’s approach to this post-House, NIL world of college athletics. The university recently launched the LEAP Agency for in-house management of NIL activities.  

The landscape of collegiate athletics is changing, but on its best day, marrying experiential learning opportunities for NARPs with increased earning potential for student-athletes is the goal. D’Souza was invited to speak about the NIL programming at the Money Drills Summit hosted by Robinhood in Washington, D.C.  

“Through the Legacy Frogs venture studio, we’ve created a hands-on lab where students across TCU work with student-athletes on content creation, revenue optimization and financial planning aligned with each athlete’s values and goals,” D’Souza said. “Our students, guided by faculty and community mentors, aren’t just studying these concepts, they’re living them. It’s a holistic way of looking at NIL and educating for the long run, preparing both our NARPs and athletes for success beyond TCU.” 

Richards hopes not only that Legacy Frogs will continue after they graduate, but that it will become another reason for athletes to choose TCU. Athletes like Hooper.  

Asked to name their biggest success story to date, they say, almost in unison, “Hooper.” 

He had 130 TikTok followers when he started with Legacy Frogs ... and no TikToks. Now he’s at about 2,000 followers with his content getting almost 10,000 views every time he posts. He has conducted deals with Jeremy Fouts with CorVive, and Chris Marulli with Iron and Ivory Custom Suits, Dave’s Hot Chicken, the Mission brand and more. 

“Working with Legacy Frogs has opened so many doors,” Hooper said. “I would say the biggest one is getting connected to an amazing network of people who are hard workers, including the staff and athletes. Building my brand on social media has been one of the main points of Legacy Frogs, and they have tremendously helped my growth. As a result, I have been part of several exciting NIL deals that I would not have had otherwise.” 

-Jen Floyd Engel