Casey's latest NIL deal partners college basketball stars in battle to fight hunger

Casey’s, one of the nation’s largest convenience store and pizza chains, returned to the NIL space with three new deals with top college basketball players.

The deals are with Arkansas guard Davonte Davis, Tennessee center Jonas Aidoo and Iowa women’s basketball guard Gabbie Marshall. As part of the partnership, the three players will be promoting Casey’s annual giving campaign to benefit Feeding America – the largest hunger relief organization in the United States.

Casey’s hopes to generate funding for 1 million meals during March Madness. For every slam dunk by Aidoo, steal by Davis and 3-pointer by Marshall, Casey’s will donate 50,000 meals to Feeding America. With support from Celsius, all funds raised by Casey’s guests support 56 Feeding America-affiliated food banks across the 17 states Casey’s calls home.

Players excited about Casey’s NIL deal

“Growing up in North Carolina, I didn’t visit a Casey’s store until I started school in Tennessee,” Aidoo, who averages 12 points and 7.6 rebounds for the 21-6 Volunteers, told On3 in a statement. “Now, it’s turned into one of my favorite stops here in Knoxville. I’m pumped to be part of their team this March, and I hope that together we can hit the 1 million meals donation.”

Marshall shared similar sentiments.

“When I moved to Iowa my freshman year, it became clear why so many people love Casey’s,” said Marshall, who’s drained 231 3-pointers in her career and 38 this season for the Hawkeyes. “I’ve been a fan ever since, so partnering up with them while also giving back to this community was an opportunity I couldn’t pass up.”

Davis, who has 133 career steals, was also pumped about the partnership.

“From the elementary school donation for new basketball courts right here in Fayetteville to the Feeding America campaign on deck this March, it’s a brand that I’m grateful to be a part of,” he said. “Plus, their pizza is delicious.”

Not first major NIL deals for players

Davonte Davis, Jonas Aidoo and Gabbie Marshall have built impressive NIL resumes during their time on campus.

The new deal from Casey’s adds to his list of previous deals with 103.7 The Buzz, FAB&T, Drink Treo, Conagra Brands and his partnership with the Arkansas’ focused collectives. Davis has more than 320,000 followers on social media.

Aidoo has an impressive array of national-level NIL deals, including with Urban Outfitters, ZIPS Car Wash, Dunkin and his roster partnership with The Volunteer Club powered by Spyre Sports.

Marshall has a deal with Iowa-focused The Swarm Collective. Plus, she was part of a national campaign recently promoting U.S. Cellular.

This is also not the first time Casey’s has executed deals in the NIL space.

Before the start of the last football season, Casey’s signed NIL partnerships with Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka, Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren and Iowa tight end Luke Lachey. The convenience store chain also struck NIL deals ahead of March Madness last year with Tennessee’s Tyreke Key, Iowa’s Kris Murray and Indiana’s Sydney Parrish.

About the On3 NIL Valuation

While none of the players are listed in the On3 NIL Rankings, they do bring a strong Roster Value to their programs and can get their detailed On3 NIL Valuations by claiming their profiles as On3 ELITE athletes.

“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”

The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.