Oregon State Student Athlete Alex Austin Provides Scholarship Bankrolled By NIL Deal

Student athletes have been cashing in on name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals following the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) vote to allow the practice last June. One Oregon State football player however, is taking things to a whole other level.

In a partnership between student athlete Alex Austin, Access Scholarships, and the Hirect App, Austin is giving back to his community by establishing a scholarship, the Alex Austin Overcoming Adversity Scholarship, according to Los Angeles Sentinel.

The 20-year-old Long Beach native is the first to head a different direction off his NIL deal, providing aid to access higher education for disadvantaged students.

“I’m extremely blessed & fortunate to be able to launch my Overcoming Adversity Scholarship, created in partnership with Access Scholarships and @HirectApp The scholarship is open to all high school and college students in the US. Head over to the link in my bio to apply now!” read one of his recent tweets.

Such a move is no surprise for the college defensive back, considering giving back is part of his family’s DNA. With a city councilman for a father and an assembly member district director for a mother, the Austins are no stranger to community service.

“It really just came from me wanting to give back to my community. I’ve always been a hand in the community, starting with turkey giveaways and back-to-school giveaways at a young age,” Austin shared in a recent interview with ABC7.

The scholarship offers one $1,000 award and two $500 awards to high school or college students in the United States. Applicants must submit a maximum 500 word essay about an obstacle or challenge encountered and what lesson the experience brought them. The deadline is Sept. 1. Special priority for the awards will be given to first-generation college students and minorities.

“Even if I could just help to pay for somebody’s books for the year, just being able to do a good deed is all I really wanted to do,” Austin said.