How SEC baseball stars are targeting long-term financial success

Alabama starting pitcher Tyler Fay and Arkansas second baseman Camden Kozeal are both trying to lead their clubs to Charles Schwab Field, where the Men’s College World Series will be hosted next month in Omaha, Nebraska. 

The college baseball stars are both natives of the Cornhusker State, and are expected to hear their names called in July’s MLB Draft. Ahead of their professional careers, Kozeal and Fay are both working with Justin Boeving, partner at the Socium Advisors wealth management practice operating under the Northwestern Mutual advisory network.

“Justin and his team came and visited the past two years now and talked to our whole team, and just had everyone introduced to the idea of financial advising,” said Fay, who pitched Alabama’s first complete-game no-hitter since 1942 in March against the Florida Gators. “I had no idea what to do with any money. I was pretty much not spending anything, and thinking that was the right way of saving, and obviously that's not it.”

Money from NIL deals help Fay, a redshirt junior, make big purchases like a wedding ring and new car for Chloe, his wife. Kozeal is also relying on Socium to manage his finances as he’s secured marketing deals with outdoors brands tied to his passion for hunting and fishing, helping the 21-year-old buy a new truck and plan an engagement ring purchase. 

“One of the best things about it is I can just focus on being a baseball player. You have someone in your corner who's there to help you, guide you, and structure things,” said Kozeal. “It takes a lot off your mind, so you're just able to be an athlete—play baseball at university right now, and then eventually when you're playing professionally, it's just less stress on your life.”

Boeving, who is registered in Arkansas, founded Athletes Advantage Financial in 2010 and merged his practice with another firm to form Socium Advisors in 2022. Socium surpassed $4.3 billion assets in April and serves over 250 athletes, including MLB pitcher Tyler Wells and University of Texas star Dylan Volantis, one of the nation’s top college pitchers.

“We go through a whole process of budgeting, building financial plans,” said Boeving. “We have conversations with them around kind of one big expense per off season, pace yourself not just now, but during their professional career as well. Instilling and teaching some really important values at a young age puts them way ahead of the curve.”

The Southeastern Conference (SEC) regular season ended this weekend with the conference tournament beginning Tuesday. Both Alabama and Arkansas rank as top-15 teams in the country, according to The Athletic. Arkansas has begun exempting athlete’s NIL earnings from state income tax to better compete in the SEC recruiting landscape as Florida, Texas, and Tennessee are in states with no income tax. Mississippi lawmakers have tried to do the same.

“It definitely can,” Kozeal said on how state tax laws can impact college recruiting decisions.  “It's a big deal in the Southeastern Conference to be competitive in sports”

Kozeal finished his junior regular season with a .309 batting average, 17 home runs and 63 RBI to lead the Razorbacks in both categories. He’s ranked as a top-100 MLB Draft prospect according to media outlet Just Baseball. At six-foot-five, Fay emerged as Alabama’s Friday night starter in 2026 and leads the Crimson Tide in wins, strikeouts, and innings pitched. 

“With guys like T-Fay and Cam [Kozeal], their earnings are potentially significantly higher ahead of them,” said Boeving. “Being able to go in and actually stress-test a financial plan, showing if you're spending a couple thousand bucks a month now, or you're playing professionally in the big leagues, if you're spending eight to ten grand a month, how that impacts your family 40 and 50 years down the road. That is very different than just, ‘let's put some money in an account, hopefully it grows, and we're going to call it financial planning.’”