New Seton Hall N.I.L. Leadership.
Seton Hall Hires Michael McBride to Lead NIL Efforts, Promotes Tatum Colitz and Niko Morisi
Seton Hall Director of Athletics Bryan Felt has announced the hiring of an experienced and dynamic relationship-builder to lead the department's external units, including Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) efforts, and the promotion of two outstanding individuals who have made a significant impact on the department in their time at The Hall thus far. Joining Seton Hall Athletics as the Deputy Athletics Director for Revenue Generation, NIL and Strategic Initiatives is Michael McBride; earning promotions are Deputy Athletics Director for Compliance and Student-Athlete Development/SWA Tatum Colitz and Assistant Athletics Director for Development Niko Morisi.
"I am thrilled to welcome Mike to the Seton Hall family and have him be at the forefront of our NIL enterprise," Felt said. "Mike brings extensive collegiate athletics experience to our department and will be directly involved in the oversight of Seton Hall Athletics NIL initiatives and strategy as well as marketing, development, sales, fan engagement, and communications. He is the perfect fit to navigate our department through the rapidly changing NIL landscape and position us for success."
McBride is an accomplished administrator with lucrative success across the collegiate athletics landscape, both on campus and in the corporate space. As the Chief Brand Officer at Turba Sports, the unique solutions provider to college athletic leadership, he led the company to 12 new corporate and collegiate partnerships in 2022.
McBride's on-campus experiences include Senior Associate Athletics Director for External Affairs at the University of Houston and Chief Revenue Officer at Auburn University. At Houston, McBride revamped the department's external unit that resulted in creating an ESPN+ Studio, complete with a renewed creative department, record season ticket sales, and additional revenue generation initiatives including their NIL programming.
At Auburn, McBride reinvigorated the department's sales, marketing and creative initiatives, resulting in exponential growth and record ticket revenue. He focused on data analytics, marketing campaigns, revenue generation, ticket retention and fan experience.
"I am excited to join the Seton Hall Athletics family and make an impact on the department, especially in the NIL space," McBride said. "Thank you to Bryan Felt for this opportunity to come to an incredible University situated in the world's greatest market competing in the best basketball conference in the country. It's truly an honor, and I'm ready to help the athletics department and especially our student-athletes, take the next step in maximizing everyone's potential."
Prior to joining Auburn, McBride spent almost a decade as the Senior Manager, Collegiate Partnerships at Under Armour, where he led the negotiation and execution of high-profile agreements with 18 universities, including Seton Hall's partnership that was established in 2014. McBride also spent one year as the Executive Director of Corporate Partnership and Sales, Sports and Entertainment, at MGM Resorts International, where he delivered $18 million in new sales.
Colitz first came to Seton Hall as the Senior Associate Athletics Director for Compliance & Student-Athlete Development in January 2020 and has made a vital impact on the growth of student-athlete programming and ensuring that they are prepared for life after graduation and also has had a heavy hand in developing Seton Hall's NIL offerings, including serving as point to bring The Brandr Group that allows for student-athlete group co-licensing with the University.
Colitz also has spearheaded the department's SHECan initiative, which creates and cultivates a community of strong, independent, and successful women who can serve as role models and build connections with Seton Hall's female student-athletes. She also served as one of the committee leaders to bring to Seton Hall the espnW Campus Conversations event, which brings insightful, meaningful conversations to female student-athletes as they prepare for the transition from college to the "real world."
Morisi originally came to Seton Hall in 2018 as a member of the Learfield team, serving as Account Executive for Ticket Sales before being promoted to Senior Account Executive in 2020. He then joined the Athletics Department full time as the Assistant Director of Development within the Pirate Blue office in July 2021. Since moving into development, Morisi has worked tirelessly to develop relationships with Seton Hall's fantastic donor base, and he has spearheaded all of Pirate Blue's events, including Giving Day, the Beefsteak Tip-Off Dinner, the Athletics Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony, the Pirate Blue Golf Outing and Corks & Forks.
"Congratulations to both Tatum and Niko on their well-earned promotions," said Felt. "They have been fantastic people to work with, and their dedication and commitment to our student-athletes and our supporters has shone throughout their careers here, and I'm excited that, in these new roles, they'll continue to make Seton Hall Athletics better."
