Former Tiger Brandon Lee named Mizzou's assistant athletic director for NIL

Matt Stahl, Columbia Daily Tribune
·2 min read

Former Tiger linebacker Brandon Lee was named Missouri’s assistant athletic director for name, image and likeness on Thursday, the school announced.

Lee rejoins the Tigers from Notre Dame, where he was working as the school’s director of student-athlete professionalism.

At Missouri, Lee will be in charge of the Tigers’ NIL program and will seek to build relationships both in and out of the university to help players.

"Brandon's fundraising background and passion for Mizzou from his time as a student-athlete makes him the ideal candidate to lead our evolving NIL program," MU athletic director Desiree Reed-Francois said in a news release. "Maximizing every NIL opportunity for our student-athletes is critically important, and we are positioning Mizzou to be one of the nation's innovators in NIL in the months and years ahead."

Georgia tight end Isaac Nauta (18) is tackled by Missouri linebacker Brandon Lee (4) during a game Oct. 14, 2017, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.
Georgia tight end Isaac Nauta (18) is tackled by Missouri linebacker Brandon Lee (4) during a game Oct. 14, 2017, at Sanford Stadium in Athens, Ga.

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Lee played at Missouri from 2014 to 2018. He finished his career with 124 total tackles, including 11 for loss, along with an interception and a forced fumble.

He also served on the SEC leadership council and was an MU representative at the 2018 NCAA convention.

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“During the interview process, Brandon’s ability to connect and his vision for what our NIL program could be was outstanding,” Rachel Blunt, MU senior associate athletic director, said in the release. “I am excited to welcome him to our team, to lead our NIL program and to have an opportunity to work with our community and Tigers student-athletes on a day-to-day basis.”

Lee earned two degrees from MU, graduating with a bachelor’s in personal finance in 2018 and returning to earn an MBA in 2020.

The move to add Lee on staff continues the university's attempts to get more involved in the NIL space, following the signing of a new state law, which goes into effect Aug. 28 and allows schools to be more active in helping players secure deals.

Matt Stahl is the Missouri athletics beat reporter for the Columbia Daily Tribune. Follow him on Twitter @mattstahl97.

This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Mizzou alum Brandon Lee named assistant athletic director for NIL