The Tulane Green Wave are also focused on cultivating their players' NIL opportunities off the court.
College football has become as much about NIL as it is about anything else nowadays, but it’s better to lean in and try to harness it than try to fight it at this point, and that’s what the Tulane Green Wave are doing by sending some student athletes to an opportunity to grow their entrepreneurship. The NCAA Legacy Lab is a new initiative that was started for sophomore and junior student athletes who are looking to explore their entrepreneurship and business savvy while still competing in Division I football and finishing their college degrees.
The 2026 NCAA Legacy Lab is a multi-day program that the NCAA is hosting from Feb. 26 to March 1. In Indianapolis – which happens to coincide with the NFL Combine also being hosted there during this time. The Green Wave announced that wide receiver Kellen Tasby and linebacker Makai Williams were selected to attend the first-ever Legacy Lab program.
While there, student athletes will have the opportunity to choose three learning tracks, which will either be focused on NIL opportunities and how to monetize that effectively, the blueprint to start, operate, and grow a business, or to choose a more service-focused route that balances social responsibility with profitability.
For one, it’s good to see that the NCAA is somewhat leaning into the idea of name, image, and likeness opportunities it once fought so hard to keep out of college athletics. It’s certainly been a can of worms. But at this point, it’s an open one, and it’s also sage for college programs to lean in as much as the NCAA. From the get-go, Tulane stood out as a prolific Group of Five program with considerable NIL opportunities due to a proactive approach. Now, they’re expanding that to send student athletes to have the chance to build their likeness and explore operating and owning a business past college.
It fits with one of new football coach Will Halls’ core values, with a focus on cultivating players’ careers past college football with the unlikelihood of players making it to the league. This opportunity gives them a road map to do that, as well as a solid networking opportunity with likeminded peers. The NCAA covers travel, lodging, meals, and materials for the program, allowing players not to have to dip into their own profitability in order to expand their horizons at this event, and leaving plenty of time for the football players to return for spring practice.