Ohio State football stars ink NIL deals as first-ever collegiate 'style ambassadors'

As the Ohio State Buckeyes wrap up spring ball and head into the summer, two football stars are still navigating the NIL world. On Monday, it was announced that Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud and wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba have inked a new NIL deal with Express, a national fashion retailer, according to Forbes.

Stroud and Smith-Njigba are leaders in Ohio State’s football program, and are poised to lead the Buckeyes to another strong season in 2022. But now, the two Ohio State stars will also become the first two ambassadors in the Express program.

In adding two Ohio State stars in Stroud and Smith-Njigba, Express executive vice president and CMO Sara Tervo believes that the brand is getting two college athletes that represent the values of the company.

“The announcement of our partnership with CJ and Jaxon signifies the growth of what we call the Express Styling Community, a community connected by the confidence people find through personal style. Our portfolio includes our Community Commerce Style Editors, associates, influencers, brand ambassadors, and now collegiate athletes,” said Tervo, via Kristi Dosh of Forbes.

“As we build and engage our styling community, we look for partners who embody our brand purpose to create confidence and inspire self-expression. We chose CJ and Jaxson—two outstanding collegiate athletes from our corporate hometown of Columbus—because they live our brand values and exude confidence and style both on and off the field.”

What the Ohio State stars are looking for with the new NIL partnership

Stroud has always been a fan of Express, and he has recently shopped at the store. When Express reached out to him and Smith-Njigba, who is his top target at Ohio State, about a potential NIL partnership, Stroud saw the opportunity as a no-brainer.

Express hopes that bringing in Stroud and Smith-Njigba will help create brand awareness, and also bring in new customers from audiences they might not have seen before. Stroud hopes that he can use his platform to help the brand grow, as well.

“I’ve been a fan of Express for as long as I can remember,” said Stroud. “The clothes have always just made me feel good—like a boss. Jaxon and I were actually shopping for suits at our local Express store last winter and shortly after, the brand reached out about an opportunity to join their styling community—it feels like it was meant to be.

“I’m really looking forward to sharing my personal style with the Express community. The slim fit suits are clean and I’m going to create some cool content that shows how I style myself off the field. It was a really awesome experience to participate in my first fashion shoot alongside my teammate and friend Jaxon Smith-Njigba. Ultimately, I hope that people will feel inspired to lean into style as an outlet of self-expression.”