Yea Alabama, Tide’s NIL arm, solicits donations after Rose Bowl loss: ‘We need to take action’

Yea Alabama, Tide’s NIL arm, solicits donations after Rose Bowl loss: ‘We need to take action’

Frustrated about No. 4 Alabama’s 27-20 overtime loss to No. 1 Michigan at the Rose Bowl on Monday in the College Football Playoff semifinals?

Donate to the program’s Name, Image and Likeness fund. That was the message from Yea Alabama, the official University of Alabama NIL entity, soon after the Crimson Tide was eliminated from the CFP.

“In this disappointment, we need to take action,” Aaron Suttles, director of content for Yea Alabama, said in a video post on “X,” the social media platform formerly known as Twitter. “We need you to build Alabama’s NIL entity into the biggest in the country. Yea Alabama needs your support.”

Not long after the Wolverines stopped Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe short on fourth-and-3 from the 3 in overtime to secure the win, the NIL message was posted.

“Take that bitter disappointment you have and let’s move into using it for good for NIL,” Suttles said.

According to On3.com, Milroe has the highest NIL valuation of any Crimson Tide player at $1.4 million. Milroe has deals with Beats by Dre and others.

Cornerback Kool-Aid McKinstry has the second-highest valuation of any Alabama player at $912,000. Terrion Arnold checks in at No. 3 at $805,000.

“We need to keep this trail rolling and keep this thing moving forward,” Suttles said. “The way we do that – the way the fans have the most involvement – is supporting NIL.”

On Monday night, Blake Corum rushed for a 17-yard touchdown on the second snap of overtime, and top-seeded Michigan advanced to its first College Football Playoff championship game with a victory over fourth-seeded Alabama in the Rose Bowl on Monday.

Michigan’s defense ended only the second overtime game in the 110 editions of the Rose Bowl when Milroe was stopped on fourth down from the Michigan 3.

Coach Jim Harbaugh’s Wolverines (14-0) will play for their school’s first national title since 1997 on Jan. 8 in Houston, but only after a late comeback and a hair-raising finish to the Granddaddy of Them All.

Roman Wilson made a 4-yard TD catch with 1:34 left in regulation for the Wolverines, who hadn’t scored in the second half until that gritty 75-yard drive led by J.J. McCarthy.

Corum then needed only two snaps to score in the first overtime period, breaking tackles and spinning wildly on his second carry into the end zone.

Milroe connected with Jermaine Burton at the Michigan 3 on third-and-goal in overtime, and Alabama leaned on its quarterback’s athleticism on the final play call — but Milroe ran straight into a Michigan defense that was waiting for him. He was stopped 2 yards short of the goal line.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.