PSU QB Sean Clifford Starting NIL Agency: 'It's for the Players, by the Players'

Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford is focused on helping his fellow student-athletes off the field as he prepares for his sixth season with the Nittany Lions program.

Pete Thamel of ESPN reported Clifford launched the agency Limitless NIL, which will represent college athletes looking to make money under the NCAA's name, image and likeness legislation. There are five employees who work for the agency, and it has signed seven athletes from three different schools to this point.

"It's the agency that I was looking for that I couldn't find," Clifford said. "It's for the players, by the players. I wanted to do something to leave even more of a legacy than just on the field. And I thought that this was kind of the way that I wanted to go."

Thamel noted Limitless NIL is believed to be the first agency founded by a student-athlete with the purpose of helping others with NIL.

Penn State safety Ji'Ayir Brown, Penn State women's basketball player Anna Camden and Kentucky tight end Brenden Bates are among those who have already signed, and there are planned recruiting trips to nearby schools such as Ohio State, Cincinnati, Kentucky, Pitt and West Virginia.

Clifford made more than $100,000 with NIL last year as Penn State's starting quarterback but realized agencies that are accustomed to working with professional athletes sometimes struggled to maximize the potential of college athletes with other time commitments and responsibilities.

"A lot of bigger agencies lack the strategy for content creation and the marketing specialty, what athletes should be posting day in and out," the 23-year-old said. "How they should be building their brand and interacting with community."

The quarterback also pointed out those who sign with Limitless NIL will have access to financial advisers to improve their financial literacy. The agency also features an internship program and education on time management and building social media followings.

The 2022 campaign will be Clifford's fourth as Penn State's starting quarterback, and expectations will be high after he completed 61.0 percent of his passes for 3,107 yards, 21 touchdowns and eight interceptions last year.

Penn State struggled as a whole, though, on the way to a 7-6 record and Outback Bowl loss after going 4-5 during the shortened 2020 campaign.

Bouncing back this year may require Clifford to take another step against a schedule that includes showdowns with Ohio State, Michigan, Auburn and Michigan State.

Yet even if the Nittany Lions underperform on the field for the third straight season, Clifford has already proved to be a leader off it and will surely look to continue expanding the agency.