Quinn Ewers signs with agencies for NIL representation

Ohio State quarterback Quinn Ewers made national headlines when he opted to reclassify to the 2021 class, naming Name, Image and Likeness. On Monday, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Ewers is signing with Sportstars Inc, and Rubicon Talent for NIL representation.

Ewers arrived in Columbus this weekend and has officially joined Ohio State’s football team, as previously covered in this piece by On3’s Jonathan Wagner . He was ranked as the top prospect in the 2022 recruiting class. He elected to reclassify and enroll at Ohio State as part of the 2021 class instead.

First reported by Lettermen Row’s Austin Ward, Ewers has now officially enrolled at Ohio State and is on the football roster. He also has his jersey number.

“Quinn Ewers is officially enrolled and part of the Ohio State program,” tweeted Ward. “He will wear jersey No. 3.”

Ewers reclassified due to NIL opportunities

Recent Name, Image and Likeness regulations allow college athletes to earn a profit off of their name. High school athletes are legally not able to make money off of NIL deals. This means that Ewers could have left nearly $1 million on the table, according to Pete Thamel of Yahoo Sports. Ewers will only gain more opportunities after joining Ohio State. He has already announced one NIL deal with Holy Beverages.

“Ewers has emerged as such a precocious and recognizable star that he has the potential to earn nearly a million dollars in the next year by profiting off his Name, Image and Likeness,” Thamel said. “A local company called Holy Kombucha is among those offering a deal to Ewers. It includes cash and equity in the company. There are several other offers, including national brands.

“While this avenue of making money off NIL has become formally available to college athletes in the past month, it’s not allowed for high school athletes in Texas. The state’s University Interscholastic League informed the Ewers family in an email that any attempt for Ewers to profit off his NIL would be in violation of Texas’ recent legislation regarding Name, Image, and Likeness.”

Quinn Ewers might not contribute in 2021

On3’s national director of football recruiting, Chad Simmons, said that Quinn Ewers is unlikely to impact Ohio State right away.

“It shouldn’t really impact Ohio State all that much this season with him coming in weeks before the first game,” Simmons said. “He is a special talent, and the number 1 player in the country for multiple reasons. But he’s not going to show up at Ohio State weeks before the season starts and be expected to make a significant impact. What this does for him though is start he clock on when he can be eligible for the NFL Draft. Of course, the NIL is the biggest reason all this happened. So he will benefit financially from that as well when he officially starts at Ohio State. If all works out perfectly for him, he will be at Ohio State for three seasons, starting two, making money because of NIL, and then a young NFL draftee in 2024.”

Ewers enters Ohio State in the midst of a quarterback battle that features CJ Stroud, Kyle McCord and Jack Miller. Ohio State head coach Ryan Day previously stated that he hoped to have the battle settled within the next week. That gives Ewers less than a week to learn the playbook and battle against three quarterbacks that were highly-regarded recruits themselves.