Bryce Young, Caleb Williams sign NIL deals with Celsius

Celsius launched its NIL program in August, but the energy drink signed its two biggest college athletes to date in the past week.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young announced his partnership on Instagram, while the brand signed Caleb Williams last Friday, the night before the USC quarterback won the Heisman Trophy.

Celsius is not new to the NIL space, though. Ahead of the Orange Blossom Classic between Jackson State and Florida A&M, the drink signed Travis Hunter and Malachai Wideman. The company also served as one of the chief sponsors of the inaugural NIL Summit in June.

As part of the agreement, the quarterbacks will promote the brand across their social media channels. Since the start of the NCAA’s NIL era in July 2021, Young and Williams have emerged as some of the most successful athletes in the space.

Young won the Heisman Trophy last year, capitalizing on his national profile by signing endorsement deals with Fanatics, Dollar Shave Club and NOBULL. He is also starring in Dr. Pepper’s Fansville commercials. Young has been featured next to Tim Tebow and Baker Mayfield in Nissan’s Heisman House ads throughout the season.

In less than a year in Los Angeles, Williams has become the latest poster child for NIL in college football. Celsius marks the third drink company to partner with the USC quarterback. He previously announced deals with AC+ION Water and Athletic Brewing Company. On top of those deals, he has worked closely with with Smith & Company to build a portfolio that also includes Fanatics Authentic, Beats by Dre and Faculty.

“Proud to be a brand partner of Celsius who has been pioneering their way into college football,” Williams said in a statement. “I’m looking forward to the projects we’ll do together to support college athletes in the future and bring more visibility to NIL as a whole.”

On top of promoting the brand on their social media channels, Williams and Young will discuss the “live fit” lifestyle, which goes past the gym.

The fitness energy drink secured a $550 million investment this summer, on top of a long-term distribution partnership with PepsiCo. A disruptive brand in the energy drink world, Celsius has targeted consumers on college campuses. It has quickly become one of the most bought energy drinks on the market, starting to compete with Red Bull and Monster Beverage.

Caleb Williams, Bryce Young hold massive On3 NIL Valuations

While Bryce Young has yet to make an announcement on his future, the Alabama quarterback sits atop the college football NIL rankings with a $3.4 million On3 NIL Valuation.

He has one of the sport’s highest social media followings with more than 314,000. He sits at No. 4 in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

Caleb Williams is not far behind. The Heisman Trophy winner has seen a major uptick in his social media following since Saturday night and his On3 NIL Valuation will certainly increase as a result. Currently, he holds a $2.5 million On3 NIL Valuation. He sits at No. 2 in the college football NIL rankings and sixth in the On3 NIL 100.

The On3 NIL Valuation is a proprietary algorithm that calculates an athlete’s projected annual value in the NIL landscape. It factors in an athlete’s performance, influence and exposure.

The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors in the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.