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50+ top college athletes sign NFT deals with The Players’ Lounge

Jeremy Crabtreeby:Jeremy Crabtree•03/25/22•

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Myles Brennan is one of more than 50 players to sign an NFT deal with The Players' Lounge. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)

More than 50 student-athletes from some of the top college programs in the country have signed NFT deals with The Players’ Lounge, according to a report from NIL Newsstand.

The Players’ Lounge deal features three players in the top 100 of the On3’s College Football NIL Rankings. The deal includes LSU quarterback Myles Brennan, who is No. 44 on the list, Auburn quarterback TJ Finley, who is No. 75, and Alabama safety Terrion Arnold, No. 95 on the top 100.

The Players’ Lounge deal also includes some of the top players from Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, LSU, Texas and North Carolina. It also features a deal with LSU gymnast Sami Durante, an All-American in 2021, Oklahoma gymnast Ragan Smith, an All-Big 12 selection in 2021, LSU star first-baseman Tre’ Morgan, Texas All-America track star Tyra Gittens, and Longhorns All-America baseball player Tanner Witt.

In total, 52 signed with the group that was launched by former Georgia football players Keith Marshall, Aaron Murray and brothers Ty Frix and Trent Frix.

A non-fungible token, or an NFT, is a digital asset that represents real-world objects like art, music, in-game items and videos. They are bought and sold online, frequently with cryptocurrency. Although they’ve been around since 2014, NFTs are gaining notoriety now because they are becoming an increasingly popular way to buy and sell digital artwork. A staggering $174 million has been spent on NFTs since November 2017, according to a report from Forbes.

The Players’ Lounge had NFT success at UGA

The Players’ Lounge has already done this type of deal with NFTs in the college football world.

Recently, 11 members of Georgia’s national championship team were part of an NFT launch with DGD Mafia that sold out in 3 hours and raised more than $305,000 in sales. Each student-athlete received $28,000, according to Murray.

After that success, The Players’ Lounge said interest in digital communities at other schools shot through the roof. The group signed 13 players at LSU and communities are now being launched at Alabama, Auburn, Oklahoma, Texas and North Carolina in coming weeks.

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“Selling a limited number of NFTs to a specific fanbase then splitting the profits with student-athletes in that market is a new trend in the NIL collective space,” said Blake Lawrence, the co-founder and CEO of Opendorse, which is a company that works with schools and athletes to manage NIL activities.

According to NIL Newsstand, once purchased, The Players’ Lounge NFT gives owners access to exclusive real-world experiences while providing opportunities for student-athletes to monetize their individual brands.

“For example, if a participating student-athlete loves to fish, members of The Players’ Lounge Discord could ask the athlete directly about their favorite type of fish to catch or even go fishing with the athlete,” NIL Newsstand reported. “The NFT serves as a key into these types of exclusive events.”

Here is the list of players signed by The Players’ Lounge and the NFT marketplace can be found on their website:

Alabama

Auburn

LSU

North Carolina

Oklahoma

Texas