NIL Startup MOGL Hires Director of University Relations

MOGL, a NIL marketplace connecting businesses and brands with collegiate athletes for opportunities to monetize their NIL has hired Elliott Charles as Director of University Relations.

Elliott is joining MOGL after steering Chicago State through the pandemic. Prior to joining Chicago State, Elliott was an Associate Athletic Director for Compliance Services at Clemson University during the same period they won the national championship in football. 

“Elliott will be instrumental in helping MOGL to service university administrations and help them support their student-athletes,” said MOGL Co-Founder and CEO Ayden Syal. “His extensive experience working in senior positions at major athletic programs and historically black universities throughout the country was a major factor in his recruitment and showcases MOGL’s commitment to empowering all student-athletes in this new era.”

“After a rigorous evaluation process, it was evident that Elliott’s background was the most aligned with our mission at MOGL as he is consistently determined to serve the student-athlete community,” said MOGL Co-Founder and Chief Athletic Officer Brandon Wimbush. “We’re excited for him to build bridges between the MOGL marketplace and the universities our athletes attend.”

MOGL is the only NIL marketplace that has a former athletic director on staff and intends to grow MOGL’s university relationships according to Matt Brown’s Extra Points. “This hire might be the sign that in order to play in this increasingly competitive space, companies are going to have to be aggressive in grabbing talent that can bring new skills and new relationships to the table,” Brown wrote. 

“I’m excited to join MOGL in providing innovative and value-driven services to student-athletes and intercollegiate sport programs,” said Elliott. “The paradigm shift in the enterprise of college sports and the current pace of the evolution of new business opportunities provides a massive opportunity for thought leaders in the space of endorsements and brand management.”

“From my experience as an Athletic Director and executive team member, I believe that MOGL provides transparent and user-friendly NIL compliance and monitoring services while creating an agile user experience for all end-users on the MOGL platform. After a thorough analysis during my time at Chicago State it was clear that their marketplace and compliance technology is far superior to other solutions available in the market both in technological capabilities and approach,” said Elliott.

MOGL is a minority-founded and impact-focused startup and Elliott is an African-American trailblazer in athletics, having worked as an athletic director at predominantly black university Chicago State and in athletics and compliance at Clemson, Alabama, USF, and others. Elliott’s multinational roots in Trinidad and Tobago and Canada also provide a valuable point of view regarding the college athlete experience.

“After meeting with Ayden and Brandon to explore the vision for the development of MOGL’s suite of services, I was inspired by the alignment between my values and the strategic vision to create value within the MOGL marketplace that provides the best possible NIL opportunities for collegiate athletes,” said Elliott. “From the expansion of corporate partners, development of university relations, and enhancement of NIL education, MOGL is well-positioned to serve student-athletes, universities, collectives, agencies, corporate brands, and organizations.”

After winning a major pitch competition at SXSW, MOGL is looking to build on that momentum with this aggressive hire.