Casey's returns to the NIL space with tasty deals

Casey’s joined the list of brands hoping to score big through NIL deals early in the college football season.

Casey’s – a chain of convenience stores with locations in 16 states throughout the Midwest and the Southeast – announced Thursday three new NIL deals with Ohio State receiver Emeka Egbuka, Tennessee tight end Jacob Warren and Iowa tight end Luke Lachey. The three pass catchers are promoting the “perfect combination” – breakfast and pizza – in Casey’s commercials that are already trickling out on social media.

“Between school, practice, film study and workouts, I’m balancing a lot as a student-athlete,” Egbuka said in a news release. “To be able to go into Casey’s and get everything I need in one spot, it was a no-brainer to partner with them. And who would say no to pizza for breakfast? There’s nothing better.”

Warren said he was drawn to the opportunity to partner with Casey’s because of the company’s “ties to the local communities they serve.”

“That’s why this partnership makes sense,” Warren said. “It was a bonus to be able to chow down on their famous breakfast pizza. I’m hooked.”

At Iowa, Lachey is in the heart of “Casey’s Country.” And he said he enjoyed Casey’s breakfast pizza long before he was getting paid to promote it.

“It’s something truly unique to the Midwest,” Lachey said. “The combination of eggs, cheese and especially the crispy bacon is just what I need to keep up with my hectic schedule as a student-athlete.”

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Deal features players with high On3 NIL Valuations

Emeka Egbuka is one-half of college football’s most potent wide receiver tandem.

While Marvin Harrison Jr. may grab the most headlines for his jaw-dropping catches, Egbuka has emerged as one of the sport’s most consistent pass catchers. He’s coming off a 1,000-yard receiving season, and he was a preseason All-American.

Success on the field also translated to success off the field through NIL deals. Along with the deal with Casey’s, Egbuka became the face of an Amazon Style campaign at Easton Town Center in Columbus. The first-ever physical store concept from the tech giant features clothing, shoes and accessories. He’s also inked a deal with The Foundation, an Ohio State-focused NIL collective.

All of this has led Egbuka to garner an impressive On3 NIL Valuation of $558,000. That valuation ranks at No. 76 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.

Luke Lachey has an On3 NIL Valuation of $162,000. Lachey ranked third on the Hawkeyes in receptions (28) and receiving yards (398) in 2022. He caught a team-best four touchdowns during his sophomore season. Lachey earned multiple All-Big Ten honors ahead of his junior season. He grabbed seven receptions for 43 yards in the Hawkeyes’ season opener.

Jacob Warren has an On3 NIL Valuation of $142,000. Heading into the 2023 season, Warren tallied 37 receptions for 416 yards and four touchdowns throughout this career. But more importantly, he’s a valued team leader and well-respected in the Knoxville community. Warren has served as UT’s Wuerffel Trophy and AFCA Good Works Team nominee while being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll a record five times.

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Previous NIL deals in Casey’s Country

Even though it’s primarily a convenience store, Casey’s has developed a cult following for its pizza. Casey says it is actually the fifth-largest pizza chain in the country. So, it only makes sense for the chain to continue to promote pizza through NIL deals. Ahead of March Madness, Casey’s signed NIL partnerships with Tennessee’s Tyreke Key, Iowa’s Kris Murray and Indiana’s Sydney Parrish.

All three players promoted Casey’s on their social media accounts ahead of and during March Madness – – just like what the new round of players are doing during football season.

About the On3 NIL Valuation

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.