Cheez-It signs four athletes to NIL deals for 'Feelin' the Cheeziest' hotel rooms

Cheez-It has entered the NIL space with a statement.

The go-to cheese cracker snack signed four athletes ahead of bowl games this week. Florida State receiver Mycah Pittman, Oklahoma punter Michael Turk, LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier and Purdue receiver Tyrone Tracy Jr. have all inked agreements with the brand.

As part of the agreement, each athlete will be staying a night in the Cheez-It “Feelin’ the Cheeziest” hotel room ahead of their respective bowl games. The rooms include furniture inspired by the brand.

The company is the title sponsor of two bowl games this year: Thursday night’s Oklahoma-Florida State matchup and Monday’s Cheez-It Citrus Bowl matchup with LSU and Purdue.

“As a brand that has continuously offered fans show-stopping experiences, we’re excited to bring the action directly to four extremely talented college football athletes,” Cheez-It senior brand director Erin Storm said in a statement. “We can’t wait for Pittman, Turk, Nussmeier and Tracy Jr. to experience the magic of our ‘Feelin’ the Cheeziest’ Hotel Rooms.”

Fans will also have the opportunity to be involved in the Cheez-It experience with on-field suites. Fans who attend the Cheez-It Bowl pep rallies on Dec. 28 at The Pointe Orlando will have the chance to spend the night before the Cheez-It Bowl at Camping World Stadium. They’ll then be able to watch the game from the on-field suites.

Cheez-It was started in 1921 by the Green & Green Company and is now manufactured by Kellogg. The snacks have grown in pop culture, too, with its TV ads. Cheez-It signed as the title sponsor for the former Camping World Bowl in 2020.

Companies such as Gatorade, Reese’s and Pepsi have entered the NIL space over the past year, but Cheez-It marks one of the first moves from a snack-centric brand.

Mycah Pittman leads with top On3 NIL Valuation

The Florida State receiver holds a $182K On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 300 of college football. He also has more than 290K social media followers.

While he has not played much this season, Garrett Nussmeier impressed in the SEC Championship Game. He has a $165K evaluation, sitting at No. 289 among college football players.

Michael Turk is not far behind, either, with a $162K On3 NIL Valuation. Much of that is thanks to his massive social media following of 668,000 followers. And Tyrone Tracy Jr. also has a $42K evaluation.

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 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 into 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.