1890 Nebraska winding down operations, Husker Athletic Fund taking oversight of NIL

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – For the past three and a half years, the 1890 Nebraska Collective helped Husker Athletics with the business side of sports, including endorsement deals with brands like Adidas and Redbull.

In a message to their donors on Monday, the 1890 Nebraska NIL collective made it clear that they are winding down operations by no longer accepting donations from their supporters.

The donations above financially boost the careers of Husker athletes, but now those funds will be handled in-house by the Husker Athletic Fund.

This change is a result of the NCAA decision made in September 2025 that allowed D-1 colleges the ability to pay their student athletes directly for their name, image and likeness.

Another result from this decision is that collectives like the 1890 are no longer necessary for some schools.

Matt Davison, the president of the 1890, says that although they had a strong partnership with Husker athletics, the time has come for that partnership to end.

Nebraska is one of the first programs to make this type of change, and many fans are embracing it.

Kody Oltman is a self-proclaimed super fan of the Huskers and says there are some concerns with how this could impact college sports.

“I think that revenue should be more so funneled from the schools or to the schools that then can go to the athletes,” he said.

“I think when it comes to private donorship, that’s always going to be a problem, and like, whoever has the most money can secure the most talented players,” said Oltman.

Davison says that, as for what’s next, athletic director Troy Dannen will announce that plan.

Oltman says he has faith in Nebraska to lead the charge on this.

“I do think that the University of Nebraska does do right by their players, especially in this moment right now with NIL,” he said.

“But, I can’t say that across the college landscape, and I think that it can get dirty if there isn’t someone to be that ruler and be that person who’s saying, hey, these are our guidelines, and we’ll make sure every university is following this.”

The 1890 Collective is now telling its supporters to instead donate directly to the Husker Athletic Fund.