Purdue named No. 1 school in NIL Store

After receiving the most nominations for the NIL Store's first annual awards, Purdue also led the 68-school network with three wins for name, image and likeness (NIL) initiatives.

The most comprehensive of them all was School Partner of the Year, recognizing the school that "displayed the highest commitment on behalf of their student athletes in collaboration with the NIL Store."

"Purdue was the gold standard in 2023-24, as university staff continued its tireless work to ensure NIL is a key part of their student-athletes’ experience," an NIL store release read. "That commitment was evident in the success of the Purdue NIL Store, which earned Boilermaker athletes more money than any NIL Store school in the country and set multiple single-year and single-month earning records along the way."

The NIL Store, powered by college merchandise company Campus Ink, began the awards series this year. After a fan vote, the picks were announced Monday to recognize the 3-year anniversary of NIL legislation.

The award series featured categories celebrating creativity like "The Hustle Award," highlighting entrepreneurial spirit and "Merch Moment of the Year," that commemorated the best "single-moment" NIL merchandise, as well as ones that honored schools, licensing directors and athletes for overall achievements.

Purdue nabbed two awards for the latter, as sophomore volleyball player Chloe Chicoine and former Boiler hoops great Zach Edey were honored for their high earnings.

Edey took home "Top Earning Male Athlete of the Year," while Chicoine was dubbed the "Top Earning Female Olympic Athlete," emphasizing her NIL income in a sport other than basketball or football.