Appalachian State QB Ryan Burger signs NIL deal for self-titled burger

Appalachian State redshirt freshman quarterback Ryan Burger announced on Twitter Wednesday that he signed an NIL agreement with the local bar and restaurant The Cardinal for a new menu item called “The Ryan Burger.”

It will feature two blackened beef patties, Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce, cheddar cheese from Ashe County Cheese, tobacco onions, bacon, local greens, Duke’s Mayo and buns from Carter’s Baking Company.

Burger said the burger will be available all season.

The Cardinal and Burger teamed up to film a video as part of the announcement. Burger, wearing a red shirt featuring his jersey No. 18, walks up to someone who’s eating a burger on a picnic bench.

“Hey man, that looks really good,” Burger says. He asks for a bite and then says to go long, prompting dramatic music and intentionally low-level video editing that features a cartoon burger sailing through the countryside, pyramids in Egypt, the Great Wall of China and outer space.

The receiver ultimately catches the burger, only to get tackled as soon as he tried to take a bite.

I am excited to announce my partnership with The Cardinal in Boone! All season long, “The Ryan Burger” burger will be available! 🍔🏈 #BurgerTime 🍔⏰ pic.twitter.com/5LuYQoGEuU

— Ryan Burger (@RyanCBurger) August 2, 2023

Ryan Burger’s NIL deal gets attention online

Burger has more than 3,000 Instagram followers and almost 2,500 Twitter followers. His tweet, however, was viewed more than 20,000 times in the first two hours after he announced the NIL deal, according to Twitter.

Some Twitter users have called it, “NIL GOLD, right here” and posted, “Greatest. Collaboration. Ever.”

As a true freshman, Burger played in just one game. He completed four of his six pass attempts for 40 yards, while also rushing for 23 yards against Robert Morris in Week 9. Appalachian State won the game 42-3. As a high school prospect in the 2022 recruiting class who attended Myrtle Beach High School, Burger was rated as a three-star prospect who was ranked No. 1,618 nationally, according to the On3 Industry Ranking. Burger was the No. 100 quarterback prospect in his recruiting class.

Appalachian State went 6-6 last season in the third full season of coach Shawn Clark‘s tenure. The Mountaineers finished 3-5 in the Sun Belt.

Burger logged the second-most pass attempts on the season behind sixth-year senior starter Chase Brice, who completed 62.8% of his attempts for 2,921 yards, 27 touchdowns and six interceptions.