The NIL revolution has completely transformed college sports, increasing player movement between schools and allowing talents to stay in college for longer. Some athletes will be beneficiaries of the new policy allowing big payouts, but many will be left behind by the complexity and flood of money to the most profitable sports.

Indiana University defensive specialist Jaide Cummings, isn’t letting the NIL revolution pass her by. But, rather than sign sponsorship dollars from Instagram ads and cameos for fans, Cummings is working with IU’s Center for Intellectual Property Research to further her own education in Intellectual Property Law, and help her fellow student athletes with their NIL Deals.

A non traditional pathway

Cummings began her undergraduate career at Nazareth University in Rochester, New York, before pursuing graduate school at University of Toronto where she played on both school’s volleyball teams.

Now, Cummings is a first year law student and member of the volleyball team at IU. After three seasons at other programs, Cummings decided to apply to law school and play volleyball. While being recruited to Indiana, Cummings spoke with Maurer Law School Dean of Students Anne Newton McFadden. McFadden was honest about the level of commitment that a first year law student requires, but was equally as inviting, as the Maurer Law School has accommodated other athletes before.

“We don't even encourage our 1L students to have jobs outside of the law school,” explained Mcfadden. “And so you can imagine someone who is spending as many hours a day in practice and conditioning and all the things that they do, they're working a 40-hour job on top of a law school curriculum. So those were sort of the concerns that I raised with her.”

That was just fine for Cummings, who Dean McFadden described as going above and beyond her expected commitments.

“Dean McFadden is super easy to talk to and we chat a lot about all kinds of things. We talk about her journey through law school,” said Cummings.

Law School isn’t as intensive as a Division I season, but is as tough as any graduate or doctoral pathway. When McFadden describes her students, she sounds more and more like a coach than an administrator.

“One thing that I think is special about Jade is that she's always very receptive, going back to the coachability, she's very receptive to feedback,” she said.

Jaide's impact on culture

That coachability has shone through consistently for Jaide’s teachers and coaches alike. While at Big Ten Volleyball Media Day, Indiana Head Coach Steve Aird additionally highlighted what Cummings brings to IU’s culture.

“She's a nice volleyball player and more importantly she's an incredible young woman. Maybe at one point in my life I might need representation, so this is a really smart move by me,” Aird joked, “but she's a really great kid, unbelievable human being.”

It’s been an adjustment, both to the time commitments that law school necessitates, and to the higher intensity and quality of the Big Ten. Additionally, adjusting to three schools in a short time would be challenging for any student.

“It’s hard to find a community, but having a team has helped with that transition socially. Something that drew me to IU was that homey familial feel,” Cummings said. “They’ve helped me so much these past two years and I feel like we’ve already gotten so close.”

That homey feel is down to big things, like Bloomington’s beauty, or small things, like the weekly trip that Cummings and her fellow Graduate student teammates make for sweet treats. Whether it’s senior sweet treat sundays, or key performances from transfers, It’s coming together for Cummings and company at the moment, who look like a formidable opponent in the Big Ten.

“We’re 7-0 at home which is the best start in program history, and I think we haven't played our best volleyball yet,” Cummings said on October 9th. Indiana has lost once at home since.

This year’s positives continue beyond the court, as Cummings has worked more with the Mauerer School’s NIL initiatives to assist her fellow students. Professor Norman Hedges and Mark Janis work with Jaide around her interest in Intellectual Property, where she is performing well so far.

“We thought it would be a nice opportunity to assist these undergraduate students" explained Professor Hedges “and also give our own students a nice opportunity to get some exposure and experience, looking at these deals and to provide some assistance under my guidance.”

Taking her talents to Washington, D.C.

The theme over and over has been that Jaide is a hustler, with the humility to never highlight just how unique her position is.

“Jaide is delightful,” said Hedges. “She Has a nice disposition, very pleasant to work with and very understanding of her unique situation being a student athlete in law school and more than willing to follow the guidelines and requirements that are in place to make sure that she's maximizing her experience in a law school.”

Cummings performance in law school has remained strong in her second year. As she does more work with IP over the course of the year, a great internship fit awaits her in the summer.

“I did a bunch of interviews and got an internship with Finnegan who are a big IP firm in Washington DC,” said Cummings. “What I liked about Finnegan was the people, they’re so nice and interesting there, and it was the kind of place I want to intern next summer.”