Speak of the Devils Podcast Sitdown Series: NIL talk with Sun Angel Collective’s Brittani Willett

TEMPE (3TV/CBS 5) -- After years of saying that they wouldn’t get caught up in the arms race, Arizona State is finally jumping into action on the NIL front.

Recognizing the critical importance that Name Image & Likeness is having and will play in collegiate athletics, the Sun Devil community is looking to close the gap on other programs. At the center of the efforts is the Sun Angel Collective, created to support student-athletes by facilitating legal and compliant NIL opportunities as well as helping those athletes prepare for the future. While one of the most critical aspects of modern college sports, understanding how it all works, and how it differs from the still outlawed straight up pay for play, can be tricky. That’s why I wanted to talk with Sun Angel Executive Director Brittani Willett, who joined the collective after serving in two key roles with the Arizona Coyotes.

On this episode, we take a deep dive into the inner workings of the collective and its process, examining how a dollar goes from donation to student athlete, how the group is navigating the largely unregulated and constantly evolving landscape, the challenges facing ASU in the NIL space, the strategies to activate the Valley, and so much more.

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Recent Sitdown Series Episodes

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Guard DJ Horne: We discuss his promising debut as a Devil, how growing up in the North Carolina basketball scene prepared him for college ball, the strengths and areas of growth for this year’s team, his goals, and so much more.

Point Guard Frankie Collins: Frankie and I discuss his basketball origin story, balling with Marcus Bagley in grade school, his experience in the NCAA Tournament, how close this year’s Sun Devils are to returning to the postseason, and much more

Head Women’s Basketball Coach Natasha Adair: Natasha and I discuss her approach to building successful programs, the impact of leading with love, empowering players both on and off the court, the exciting talent on the 2022-2023 roster, and so much more.

Associate Athletic Director for Football Administration Tony DeFeo: We discuss what brought him to Tempe, what his background adds to the program, the coaching search, the quickly changing landscape of the sport & ASU’s place within it, the value of analytics, and so much more.

Striker Nicole Douglas: ASU’s all-time leading scorer discusses her record breaking career, the growth in her game and in the program, the difference between soccer here and in England, and so much more.

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Quarterback Emory Jones: Emory and I discuss why he chose to become a Sun Devil, the lessons he learned from playing in the SEC, his fit in the offense, his leadership style, building rapport with his receivers, and so much more.

Legendary WR Jaelen Strong: Jaelen and I look back at his incredible ASU career, the hard truths and painful lessons from his time in the NFL, why mentoring matters, the critical importance of mental health, the state of his relationship with ASU, what he’d like to see from his alma mater towards former players, and so much more.

Defensive Back Jordan Clark: Jordan and I discuss an eventful offseason, how the secondary stacks up after losing four starters, breakout players to watch for, his growth as a Sun Devil, the team’s growing chip on their shoulder, and much more.

Linebackers Coach Chris Claiborne: The former All-American breaks down the key players in his group, recruiting in the NIL age, his development as a young coach, and much more.

Offensive Line Coach Mike Cavanaugh: We discuss the position battles, trench technique, recruiting linemen, breakout players, and much more.

Strength & Conditioning Coach Joe Connolly: Connolly discusses the team’s gains this offseason, how leadership is forged in the weight room, the process of developing athletes, latest trends and new frontiers in sports science, and much more.

Wide Receivers Coach Bobby Wade: Wade discusses the lessons from last year, dealing with departures, breakout candidates, building rapport with a new quarterback, beating his alma mater (yet again), and much more.

Running Backs Coach Shaun Aguano: He discusses the 2022 stable of backs, their roles in the new offense, the pressure of helping a developing passing game, how NIL and the portal have changed coaching, strengthening local recruiting, how he’s evolved as a coach, and much more.

Athletic Director Ray Anderson: On this episode, Anderson goes in depth on ASU’s NIL strategy, the status of the NCAA investigation, key wins over Arizona, critical Pac-12 and NCAA issues, the next major changes in college sports, and much more.

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Defensive Coordinator Donnie Henderson: We discuss this new tenure as Edwards’ DC, why he came back, scheme changes, the returning and new personnel, spring practice goals, and more.

Offensive Coordinator Glenn Thomas: We discuss why he took the job, scheme, philosophy, playcalling, QBs, revitalizing the passing game, and much more.

Defensive Backs Coach Aaron Fletcher: We discuss his coaching journey, his influences and philosophies, playing DB in an era of offense, the 2022 Devils DBs and much more.

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Hall of Famer DB Mike Haynes: Haynes discusses his unlikely road to ASU, the tough love from Frank Kush, the desire he had to play WR, his favorite memories as a Sun Devil, his work today helping players transition out of the game, raising awareness healthy living, and more.

Hall of Fame Safety David Fulcher: The legend discusses his illustrious Sun Devil career, what his enshrinement in the Hall of Fame means, his charitable work, his time with the Bengals, his views on Herm Edwards and the current Sun Devils, and much more.