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Penn State coach James Franklin made a video appeal to Nittany Lions football fans on Thursday, asking them to contribute to a fund to pay players through the name, image and likeness program.

The funding is key to keeping Penn State competitive in the expanding Big Ten, Franklin told fans.

“Our goal is to compete for championships while doing it the right way. But having an elite NIL program is critical to this mission. A strong NIL program is a foundational component of building and maintaining an elite roster of players that will ensure our program is competitive in today’s college football,” Franklin said.

“Our staff has done an amazing job of bringing in high level players that uphold the standard of wearing the blue and white. Now we must ensure we do everything we can to guarantee our roster is the best it possibly can be for this upcoming season.”

The university said it has raised just 25 percent of its $500,000 goal via donations to Retain the Roar, a campaign run by Happy Valley United, the school’s NIL collective that serves 31 Penn State sports.

“We need your help,” Franklin said. “Every donation matters.”

A study by a Washington, D.C., certified public accountant projected NIL estimates for each of the public Big Ten universities and reported the collective at Ohio State had brought in an estimated $20.3 million, with Michigan second at $16.4 million and Penn State next at $13.8 million. About 75 percent of the money was set to go to football, per the study.

–Field Level Media