Cheez-It inks NIL deals with South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers, Illinois' Luke Altmyer ahead of Citrus Bowl

As it gets ready to sponsor another Citrus Bowl, Cheez-It is jumping back into the NIL space. The company announced deals with both quarterbacks who will suit up in the New Year’s Eve matchup.

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers and Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer both inked NIL deals with Cheez-It, the company announced. Both players will take part in activations in the lead-up to the Citrus Bowl as the company looks to make their football “fantaseez” come to life.

“Cheez-It is known for doing the most absurd NIL deals, and this year is no exception,” said Cara Tragseiler, Cheez-It senior brand director, in a statement. “What better way to get the athletes ‘Feelin’ the Cheeziest’ than by bringing their football fantaseez to life and making them 100% real? In true Cheez-It fashion, we selected two of the most absurdly dedicated college football athletes who match our brand energy.”

This marks Cheez-It’s third consecutive NIL activation in conjunction with the Citrus Bowl. In 2023, four players – two from Iowa and two from Tennessee – inked deals with the company to participate in the Cheez-It Flexin’ Section at Camping World Stadium.

Both quarterbacks impressive 2024 seasons to lead their respective teams to the Citrus Bowl. Sellers broke out in his first year as the starter, throwing for 2,274 yards and 17 touchdowns in addition to his 655 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. It was an impressive sophomore season, and he’ll now get ready to cap things off in the Citrus Bowl.

Altmyer, meanwhile, recently announced he’s returning to Illinois next season, providing some stability for the Fighting Illini after an impressive 9-3 record during the regular season. He threw for a career-high 2,543 yards and 21 touchdowns to help lead the offense, and he’s now preparing to run it back for one more year.

LaNorris Sellers saw On3 NIL Valuation surge this season

After succeeding Spencer Rattler as South Carolina’s starting quarterback, LaNorris Sellers became one of the highest-profile players in college football. As a result, his On3 NIL Valuation surged throughout the year.

Sellers’ NIL Valuation currently sits at $2.7 million, which ranks No. 5 in the college football NIL rankings. That figure also puts him at No. 7 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

“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.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value