‘The right way’: How NIL empowered Elijah McAllister, Sophia Groth

AUBURN, Ala. – What comes to mind when you think of NIL or Name, Image and Likeness? It’s probably not a Back to School Drive for the local kids in the community or promoting an organization like Baby Steps which helps empower pregnant and parenting college students.

At Auburn, however, it should be. Because that’s exactly what Elijah McAllister and Sophia Groth decided to do through their respective NIL opportunities.

McAllister, a football transfer from Vanderbilt, arrived on campus in January. He’s played in only five games for Auburn. But he wanted to give back to the community and what better way to do that than a Back to School Drive at the local Boys and Girls Club last month?

Not only did McAllister and some of his Auburn teammates hand out backpacks and school supplies to the kids, they spent the afternoon with them. There were games – video games, flag football, a bounce house. Kona Ice was provided. Even Aubie made an appearance. It was a day most of those kids will remember for a long time. 

Grateful to have served the Auburn community for our first ever Back to School Drive! Thank you to all of our generous donors and sponsors! pic.twitter.com/9JDUco2gBw

— The Elijah McAllister Foundation (@All41and1forAll) August 20, 2023

For McAllister, it goes back to having a servant’s heart.  

“I think the first thing that inspired today is me growing up in the church, and the church is all about serving,” he said. “With this event, it was just me giving back to the Auburn community – a community that I’m new to, but that is going to help me and support me out there on the field with my teammates in my first year suiting up for the blue and orange.”

It was that same servant’s heart that propelled McAllister to start his foundation, All41and1forAll, a non-profit organization that regularly conducts food pantry distributions, hosts summer football camps and other youth activities to help children build life skills and further understand mental health issues. The two main pillars of the foundation are education and experience.

With that in mind, it was only natural to put on a Back to School Drive.

“This was our first ever Back to School drive, and I’m glad to do it in Auburn,” he said.

None of it would have been possible, though, without the help of NIL. It was the money McAllister received from his Name, Image and Likeness that helped him provide those school supplies, backpacks and t-shirts for the kids. It’s what helped him start his foundation.

Ultimately, he could have used that money for anything. But McAllister chose to give back.

“There are people in my life that have sacrificed to allow me to be in this position,” he said. “To be in a position to work on another degree, to play at a university like Auburn in a conference like the SEC, to be able to make plays on the field, to be able to serve my community off the field, to be able to be successful as a person.

“There are people who have sacrificed for me to be in that position, so why not give it back in hopes to make the world a better place and fuel the next generation for better?” 

When Groth first arrived at Auburn in 2021, NIL was brand new. At the time, she didn’t think she had a name, image and likeness. It was different for her teammate, Sunisa Lee, but what was Groth going to do with NIL? She focused on her gymnastics instead.

That season, Groth earned NCAA and WGCA All-American honors on beam and garnered some attention. One of the organizations that reached out was Baby Steps. They provide housing, support and community to pregnant and parenting college students facing an unplanned pregnancy so they can have their education and their baby.

“It was a no-brainer for me because I wanted to do NIL the right way,” Groth said. “The right way means a lot of different things to a lot of different people, but in my mind, I wanted to work with mission-based companies and organizations where they were doing something that was greater than themselves.

“I personally relate with (Baby Steps) because I’m adopted. I have that personal connection of a second chance. Baby Steps really offers that to student moms and people who are facing unplanned pregnancies. Because it happens a lot more than people realize. Students shouldn’t have to face these things alone and in silence. Baby Steps offers those tangible resources for them to still be supported and have that community.”

A year later, Groth continues to work with Baby Steps by promoting them on her social media.

From McAllister’s efforts in the community to Groth’s desire to put the word out about mission-based organizations, that’s Auburn being Auburn in the new world of NIL.