Notre Dame running back Audric Estimé signs NIL deal with Rhoback

Audric Estimé flashed his potential in Year 1 as the starting running back at Notre Dame.

After getting off to a slow start, he showed promise down the stretch. A workhorse in the Fighting Irish’s upset of Clemson with 104 yards and a touchdown, he closed out the season averaging 6.8 yards per carry in their bowl win over South Carolina.

Now the established starter for Notre Dame, he’s been held out at times this training camp to save his legs for the year. Estimé has the talent to emerge as one of the top running backs in the nation this fall, which is why Rhoback has inked the former four-star recruit to an NIL deal.

As one of the leading faces of the activewear brand, he joins Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe and Penn State running back Nick Singleton as long-term ambassadors.

“I am thrilled to work with Rhoback as my official apparel sponsor, becoming a pillar of the Rhoback U Program,” Estimé said in a statement. “Rhoback’s dedication to creating trendsetting content paired with their top quality activewear made them the perfect partner for me. I was immediately impressed with the fit and feel of their products and their creative ideas. As one of the fastest growing activewear brands in the country, I couldn’t be more excited to be a part of Team Rhoback and lead Rhoback U.”

As part of the deal, he will be compensated and have an opportunity to earn a commission for sales he drives for Rhoback. The 5-foot-11, 227-pound tailback will also receive a substantial amount of gear. Another unique aspect of working with the company is content creation. Rhoback allows athletes to work with its media house, creating brand messaging, along with content creation for social media channels.

Rhoback’s aggressive NIL strategy

The activewear brand continues to return to the NIL space for marketing. The Charlottesville, Virginia, company started its Rhoback U program in July 2021, shortly after the NCAA made its move. The program allows athletes from all sports and divisions to apply, with more than 3,000 deals signed to date.

Rhoback has also spent significant dollars working with top talent in college football. JT Daniels and Kyle Hamilton were the headliners of the inaugural ambassador program. Last year’s fall campaign was led by Alabama‘s Will Anderson, Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Texas running back Bijan Robinson.

In the past, Rhoback has focused on tapping into the college football fanbase with athletes in the SEC footprint. In the last two weeks, the brand has inked athletes in the ACC, Big Ten and now an independent as one of the brand’s “core athletes.” A final ambassador announcement is expected this week.

“We are pumped to join Audric Estime’s team, proudly welcoming him as a leading face of the Rhoback U program,” Rhoback said. “After a breakout sophomore season for the Irish, he has now been named to the watch list for the Doak Walker Award, presented to the nation’s best running back. We can’t wait to share Audric’s personality and contagious energy with the Rhoback community through engaging content.

“We are incredibly excited to watch Audric this season as he helps lead our Rhoback U collegiate sponsorship program.”

Audric Estimé’s growing NIL brand

The Notre Dame running back is starting to build an NIL portfolio. He and offensive lineman Joe Alt partnered with NextGen Camps to host a youth football camp in South Bend on July 22nd. 

With the Fighting Irish set to play this weekend in Dublin against Navy to kickoff the season, Estimé will have the chance to build some steam behind his name. The tailback has more than 32,000 social media followers.

He also has $322,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 155 of the college football NIL rankings. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. 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.