University of North Texas Athletics
Cherry Named NIL Store Group II Admin of the Year
7/1/2026 12:00:00 PM | General
Director of NIL Strategy and Revenue Share Operations recognized for her efforts by NIL Store
DENTON, Texas - UNT Director of NIL Strategy and Revenue Share Operations Lauren Cherry has been named the Group II NIL Admin of the Year by NIL Store, the company announced Wednesday.
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The award recognizes the school administrator, director or leader who went above and beyond supporting their student-athletes through NIL initiatives and opportunities in Group II which is all schools outside of the ACC, Big 12 Big East, Big Ten and SEC.
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Cherry, who joined North Texas in June of 2025, was recognized for her efforts in the NIL space that included helping the Mean Green football team finished inside the top five among all Group of 6 programs in NIL sales.
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In addition to the team sales, Cherry also was instrumental in helping two football student-athletes, QB Drew Mestemaker and RB Caleb Hawkins, rank inside the top five male athletes in Group II merchandise sales on the NIL Store. UNT was the only program with multiple athletes in the top five.
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Among all FBS players in the 2025 season, Mestemaker was the eighth-highest earner in the NIL Store while Hawkins ranked 20th in the country. UNT joined Indiana, Iowa and Ohio State as one of four schools with multiple players in the top-20 in sales.
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After joining the UNT staff in June, Cherry was quickly elevated to her current role of Director of NIL Strategy and Revenue Share Operations in March of 2026. She is the first person in the department's history to be recognized with an award nationally in the NIL space.
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The award recognizes the school administrator, director or leader who went above and beyond supporting their student-athletes through NIL initiatives and opportunities in Group II which is all schools outside of the ACC, Big 12 Big East, Big Ten and SEC.
Â
Cherry, who joined North Texas in June of 2025, was recognized for her efforts in the NIL space that included helping the Mean Green football team finished inside the top five among all Group of 6 programs in NIL sales.
Â
In addition to the team sales, Cherry also was instrumental in helping two football student-athletes, QB Drew Mestemaker and RB Caleb Hawkins, rank inside the top five male athletes in Group II merchandise sales on the NIL Store. UNT was the only program with multiple athletes in the top five.
Â
Among all FBS players in the 2025 season, Mestemaker was the eighth-highest earner in the NIL Store while Hawkins ranked 20th in the country. UNT joined Indiana, Iowa and Ohio State as one of four schools with multiple players in the top-20 in sales.
Â
After joining the UNT staff in June, Cherry was quickly elevated to her current role of Director of NIL Strategy and Revenue Share Operations in March of 2026. She is the first person in the department's history to be recognized with an award nationally in the NIL space.
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