🏅Sneakers and Peanuts

Teaming up with

Hey there,

So… the College Football Playoff is set, and everyone feels really good about the selections. No, seriously, no one’s mad at all, especially not Alabama AD Greg Byrne.

In all seriousness, it’s been a really tough decade for the Crimson Tide. They’ve only been excluded from the CFP twice since the playoff system started ten years ago – meaning they’ve only made the playoffs eight times! If only they’d scheduled easier out-of-conference-opponents…

Alright, sorry ‘Bama fans, I’ll lay off. You’re not here for a lowly Baylor fan to take pot-shots at your team, you’re here for the NIL news, which is exactly what we’re giving you.

Today’s edition is packed – we’re talking about the first NIL basketball shoe from Nike, a female-led group of overachieving college athletes, and Michigan football’s hilarious NIL commercial. It’s all coming up right now, let’s get into it!

— Cole, Justin and Collin

The Big 3

Paige Buckets Makes History

UConn’s Paige Bueckers just took her NIL brand to the next level. In collaboration with Nike, she just released her own Player Edition version of the G.T. Hustle 3, designed by her. She’s the first NIL athlete to design her own basketball shoe for the company.

The G.T. Hustle 3 is perfect for Bueckers’ first launch. The shoe’s creation was led by women – with 90% of the development done by female athletes. Nike’s been trying to advance their investment into women’s sports significantly in recent years.

“It’s definitely motivating to wear your own shoe,” Paige said of the project, “I grew up wearing Nikes – all the signature shoes – so it’s surreal to have this Player Edition model. (More)

Forbes 30 Under 30 List has NIL Stars

Forbes just released their 30 Under 30 list for the sports industry – these are people under the age of 30 that are revolutionizing the industry in one way or another. There are some familiar names on the list this year.

Of course Caitlin Clark made the list after her sensational run at Iowa last season. She’s not the only NIL superstar though – LSU’s Flau’jae Johnson and Miami’s Cavinder twins both made the cut, and 20-year-old Wisconsin hockey phenom Laila Edwards was also named to the list.

Notice anything about this crew? They’re all women – that fact shows how rapidly we’re seeing growth (and subsequently investment) in women’s college sports. (More)

Michigan Players are Repping… Peanut Sauce?

Some Michigan football players just acted in a hilarious NIL-fueled commercial. The product? Top House Peanut Sauce.

It’s a perfect NIL commercial – cheesy mixed with endearing, all wrapped up in a bed of relatively terrible acting. That’s the advantage of these sorts of commercials though… the bad acting actually makes the thing go more viral and get more clicks.

NIL Collectives are getting creative in landing NIL deals for their players. Expect more team-centric brand partnerships like this from schools like Michigan in the near future. (More)

Teaming up with

Rhoback has quickly established themselves as the go-to activewear brand for college athletes. Having exclusive partnerships with some of the faces of college football in Quinn Ewers, Jalen Milroe, and Caleb Downs, it’s easy to see why college athletes across the country can’t take their Rhoback hoodies, tees, and shorts off.

With the largest NIL apparel program in the country, college athletes across all divisions have access to become a Rhoback U athlete. If you are a college athlete or know a college athlete, check out this link to apply.

Finally, Rhoback just released their licensed game-day collection with schools such as Texas, Notre Dame, Ohio State, among others. They are custom designing Polos, Hoodies, and Q-Zips specific to each school in an attempt to bring a new level of creativity to the market.

Check out Rhoback’s custom designed game-day collection and use code “NILWIRE” at checkout for 20% off your first purchase.

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT

Juju Watkins

• School: USC

• Position: Guard

• Sport: Basketball

• Class: Sophmore

• Accolades: 

• 2024 Pac-12 Champion 

• Gatorade National Girls Basketball Player of the Year

• NCAA Division I Freshman Scoring Record

• Multiple All-American Honors

• Elite Eight Appearance

• NIL: USC's JuJu Watkins is making headlines in the NIL space, recently signing a major deal with State Farm, becoming only the second NCAA player to partner with the company. With existing contracts from brands like Nike, Gatorade, and NYX Professional Makeup, her growing influence has solidified her status as one of the most marketable athletes in college sports.

jeff_chen_

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NIL BLITZ

♦️ Kentucky’s rapping point guard is back with an NIL deal

♦️ Fired college football coaches are currently owed over $36 million in buyout money

♦️ Northwestern is expected to be “very aggressive” in the early portal window this year

♦️ The Cavinder Twins are partnering with Lionel Messi for an NIL partnership

♦️ Ohio State’s 5-star QB commit just signed an exclusive deal with Panini America

♦️ Here’s the million-dollar recruit that everyone seems to be willing to pay for

♦️ In the wake of Mack Brown’s dismissal, UNC is looking to hire a football coach who can navigate rev-sharing and the portal

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BATTER UP

Today’s Poll Question:

Last Edition’s Poll Results:

How successful will Andrew Luck be in revamping Stanford's football program?

• There will be an immediate turnaround - 33%

• It'll take a few years... - 41%

• Stanford ain't getting fixed - 26%