Winning cures all, including the prospect of filling the coffers.
Arizona State already raked in some extra money for their Big 12 championship and College Football Playoff berth, but they got more great news earlier this week.
Nap Lawrence, a longtime booster for Arizona State athletics, recently pledged an additional $500,000 to the Sun Angel Collective, the lead NIL collective for the Sun Devils.
Lawrence has been a mainstay in the Arizona State booster circles for years. The Arizona native was part of the first ever graduating class of Arizona State proper, meaning after it became a four-year state university. Since then, Lawrence has become a primary benefactor for both the school and his surrounding community.
Perhaps his biggest claim to fame, though, occurred during Kenny Dillingham's introductory press conference just over two years ago. Lawrence got up during the question and answer portion and delivered a speech about the glory days of Sun Devil football before pledging a donation of $1 million to the NIL collective.
For this to come just moments after Dillingham's press conference, during which the coach coined the phrase "Activate the Valley" as a rallying cry to get the fan base invested in the football program again, offered genuine hope in this new era. Lawrence's pledge earned a standing ovation, and he later added that the generous donation prompted many more to contribute:
"The reason I made a little bit more out of it than I normally would do was the coach needed our help. Ray Anderson was kind enough to mention to me the day after that press conference that they got over 148 calls that gave donations."
Now, Lawrence has done it again. Arizona State took a massive step forward in Dillingham's second year on the job, and it's not even over yet. They'll find out Saturday which team they'll be facing in the College Football Playoff quaterfinal, and hoping to reach the semifinal after that as well.
Still, this season served as a proof of concept for Dillingham. The coaching staff knows what they're doing, and the talent is there, btut it will take increased NIL funds to keep the momentum going. Lawrence's most recent donation, as well as contributions from everyone else, play a significant role in that mission.