There are plenty of broadcasters with side jobs, but Adam Breneman’s is a bit unusual. In addition to calling college football games for CBS, podcasting on the sport for Yahoo, and maintaining his own popular Next Up with Adam Breneman podcast, the 29-year-old former All-American tight end at Penn State and UMass (and former tight ends coach at Arizona State) is the co-founder and chief media officer of The College Sports Company.
That company is focused on building athlete-driven content networks in partnership with schools and/or NIL collectives. They currently work with the Penn State, Oklahoma, Louisville and South Carolina brands, with more to be announced soon, and have an extensive lineup of podcasts at those schools and beyond. Breneman spoke to AA via email this week, and said athlete-driven media networks can be a great tool for schools in both the current NIL world and the current era of sports, where a lot of the value comes from media content.
“We believe the best way for athletic departments and collectives to increase NIL revenue is by thinking and operating like media companies,” he said. “Content is and has been driving the commercialization of sports now for some time, and it will be no different for the future of collegiate sports. We do this by building athlete-driven media networks, turning the collective or athletic department in essence into to a media company.”
Breneman said The College Sports Company is focused on being an easy partner for schools or collectives to work with to get into or expand their presence in that media space.
“We create multiple shows/podcasts under this new media brand, hiring talent, operators, hosting events, building social media channels, and more,” he said. “These media networks are then monetized through sponsorships, advertising, events, and product sales like any media company.”
There are plenty of podcasts and content networks out there without official ties to schools or collectives. Breneman said working with those groups offers significant edges, though, from interviews to fanbase connection.
“Schools and collectives have direct access to athletes and can help ensure that the content we produce aligns with their goals. Additionally, by collaborating with them instead of operating fully independently, they can accelerate some of the process by helping us tap their existing fan base–while providing them with a share of the value created by the NIL-driven media network.”
Some university approaches to this have focused on creating extra content under a subscription or paywall model, but Breneman said his company focuses on free ad-supported content due to its wider reach and the appeal of that to brands.
“In today’s digital age, we want to meet consumers where they already are—on social media and free-access platforms. Attention spans are dwindling. Paywalls create friction and limit reach – and brands want reach. By generating millions of views and engagement, we build large audiences that brands want to attach their name to, which ultimately generates far more revenue than a
subscription-based model could.”
But there are still opportunities for The College Sports Company to get extra revenue from fans. Rather than through subscriptions, though, they use tools such as VIP stadium experiences (and the reach of their free ad-supported content helps to promote those). They also have free live shows for some of their podcasts. Breneman said he thinks it’s important to bring the live event dimension not just for revenue, but also for fan and sponsor engagement.
“Integrating live events with digital content just takes the engagement from a fan perspective another level deeper. Sponsors love this approach because it provides multiple touchpoints—live in-person events, digital media, and social content—giving them more opportunities to connect with their audience. Plus, athletes enjoy being part of these experiences in person with fans, which fosters a richer, more connected experience.”
Breneman played at Penn State from 2013-15, earning a freshman All-American nod in 2013. Following a stint as campaign manager for Pennsylvania state senator Mike Regan (R-31st district), he then went to UMass for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. With the Minutemen, he led the country in receptions by a tight end both years and earned All-American selections in both of those seasons as well.
In 2018, Breneman looked at playing professionally, but instead retired due to injuries. He went into media work, hosting a show for PennLive, calling games for Stadium, FloSports, and ESPN+, and launching his own podcast and landing a CBS Sports Radio show in 2019. He then coached at Arizona State in 2020 and 2021 under Herm Edwards, first as a graduate assistant, then as the tight ends coach, but resigned in January 2022 (while he was on administrative leave around a NCAA investigation into ASU recruiting), saying he wanted to pursue other opportunities. He told AA some of that was about wanting to go back to media, and in an entrepreneurial way.
“I’ve always felt I had a unique position in media and college football because of my background,” Breneman said. “As a 5-star recruit and All-American at two schools, I went through the NFL Draft process and became the youngest position coach in Power 5 football. The transition to media felt natural because I understood both the on-field and off-field aspects of the game.
“I initially left media for coaching due to my passion for football. But when I saw the power of building an audience through social media, I knew I could combine
that with my entrepreneurial mindset to make an even bigger impact in media.”
One opportunity to do that came in July 2022 when Breneman co-founded The College Sports Company. He told AA his own media experience with both work for others and his podcast convinced him there was a lot of room for growth in that space.
“I saw the potential in the athlete-driven media space as NIL started taking off. I’d already experienced the impact of leveraging media to build a personal brand and saw that athletes and schools could do the same on a larger scale. When I connected with my co-founders Porter Grieve and Andrew Spano, who were already building something adjacent in the industry, it just made sense to team up. Together, we took the vision and turned it into what The College Sports Company is today—helping universities and athletes tap into new revenue streams through media and NIL.”
Breneman said that company has seen remarkable growth to date, and more is on the horizon.
“The business is thriving. We’ve recently closed a fundraising round with a slew of strategic investors including Kevin Love, Austin Reif, former Bleacher Report CEO Brian Grey, and Tom Brady’s media company, Shadow Lion, who believe in our content-first vision. We’ve already partnered with four schools/collectives on multi-annua, six-figure deals, and will be announcing more shortly. Our goal is to be at 10 schools soon and then take stock of the environment and industry and strategically grow from there.”
The College Sports Company isn’t Breneman’s only investment, though. He’s also been an early investor in everything from basketball analytics startup Cerebro to creator-focused fitness platform Playbook and beyond, and is a partner in Pennsylvania real estate investment firm Velocity Capital. He said the key for him with investments is if he can contribute more than just money.
“I love investing in startups where I can provide strategic value. For me, it’s about identifying companies that align with my expertise and where I can help them grow by leveraging my network and media knowledge. College Sports Co. has introduced me to incredible people and opportunities, and being an investor allows me to stay involved in shaping the future of the industry.”
Juggling media work for other companies, an individual podcast, an executive role, and other investments doesn’t sound easy, but Breneman said it works for him because of how interconnected many of those spheres are.
“It all works together,” he said. “My personal brand is closely tied to everything I do. Broadcasting games for CBS, hosting my podcast, and working with platforms like Yahoo and Rivals all build my audience and, in turn, benefit The College Sports Company. Growing my social following to over 500,000 and partnerships like PrizePicks only enhance my ability to scale my personal content team. But at the core, my focus is on growing College Sports Co. into a $1 billion-plus sports media company.”
And he said he has high hopes for what this company can be.
“I’m excited about the direction everything is heading. The intersection of NIL, media, and athlete-driven content is revolutionizing college sports, and we’re at the forefront of it. I truly believe College Sports Co. is going to change the game for athletes, schools, and brands.”
