Adrian Martinez announces first major NIL deal in K-State uniform

Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez has his first major NIL deal in a Wildcat uniform.

Martinez, who transferred to K-State after starting for four years at Nebraska, announced a new NIL deal with Long McArthur Ford out of Salina, Kansas. The deal was revealed in a social media post from the K-State-focused Wildcat NIL collective.

The commercial starts with a voiceover that says, “Now playing for the Wildcats No. 9 Adrian Martinez.” Martinez continues with his pitch for the Ford dealership.

“Family, trust and choosing the right team,” Martinez says. “This is why I’m a Wildcat. This is why I partnered with Long McArthur Ford. Pick the perfect tailgating vehicle at Long McArthur Ford in Salina. Then come to Manhattan to cheer on the Cats.”

Martinez ends the commercial by flashing the Wildcat hand signal.

Adrian Martinez 🤝 Long McArthur Ford.

We are excited to have Adrian join the Long McArthur FAMILY 💜@MartinezTheQB X @longmcarthur X@WildcatNIL pic.twitter.com/MqnJslgeQz

— WildcatNIL (@WildcatNIL) August 16, 2022

Adrian Martinez not new to NIL

Adrian Martinez had multiple NIL deals while he was at Nebraska. Some of the deals included social media promotions for First National Bank of Omaha and his own clothing line with Kumawave.

He is also a member of Degree Deodorant’s first Breaking the Limits NIL team. Athletes chosen by Degree come from a diverse set of schools, sports and backgrounds. They also have access to the company’s Instagram to share their stories with an “emphasis on instilling confidence in breaking down barriers.” The original deal with Degree was announced in July 2021.

Furthermore, Adrian Martinez currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $131,000. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.

Martinez’s teammate, Deuce Vaughn, also revealed a new NIL deal on Tuesday. The All-America running back has a new T-shirt with Kansas City-based Charlie Hustle.

K-State has big expectations for Adrian Martinez

On3 lists Adrian Martinez as the third-most impactful transfer in the Big 12. Nebraska didn’t win more than five games in a season during Martinez’s time as the starter. He was known to be mistake-prone. He threw 30 interceptions and lost a handful of costly fumbles over the course of 39 games with the Cornhuskers.

Yet, insiders believe with more complementary talent around him in Manhattan, he’ll have a chance to thrive for Wildcat offensive coordinator Collin Klein.

“He’s doing a good job,” Klein said recently. “He is very aggressive, and he can make every throw on the field and he’s an electric athlete. My biggest message to him on that is, you cannot play quarterback scared to make a mistake.”