Colorado commit Dylan Edwards signs NIL representation

Ever since Deion Sanders landed at Colorado, there was strong communication between Dylan Edwards and the Buffaloes.

The four-star running back has known Sanders since the age of four. The two-sport star coached youth sports with Edwards’ father and the families have remained close since then. So, when the recruit decommitted from Notre Dame earlier this month, it was not stunning.

Two days later, Edwards committed to Colorado following a trip to Boulder. Now the first commit in the Sanders’ era at Colorado has brought on NIL legal representation. With plans to sign next week and enroll early, the tailback has brought on the McGriff Firm to assist with his future NIL work.

Sports and entertainment attorney David McGriff had been in touch with Edwards’ father, Leon, ahead of his commitment. McGriff has a background in the music business but has entered the sports law and NIL space recently. He works closely with NFL receivers Amon-Ra and Equanimeous St. Brown.

And now he will assist the nation’s 10th-ranked running back in his NIL endeavors.

“I will help Dylan the same way I help my clients, by making sure Dylan’s opportunities are maximized,” McGriff told On3. “I’ll help him forge brand partners that make sense and are organic. Nothing is forced. And from a legal perspective, I’ll make sure he is protected and receives the entitlements he has bargained. Most importantly, for someone like Dylan, with his notoriety, there are going to be a lot of partners that reach out.

“I will make sure that he can maximize this opportunity by not giving away too many rights to one partner.”

Ensuring NIL success, safety

While McGriff will not be soliciting deals for Edwards, he will make sure the running back does not sign unfavorable contracts. Working closely with sports agents, the lawyer can assist the new Colorado commit in making connections if needed.

For all the success NIL has brought to college athletes, it has opened up a new market of sponsorship activities. McGriff’s aims to maximize Edwards’ NIL opportunities while ensuring he isn’t tied down to unfavorable contracts.

“We’re talking about 17-, 18-year-old kids here who are not sophisticated, to no fault of their own, they just haven’t experienced things,” McGriff said. “And even adults don’t know about legal language, let alone 17 or 18-year-olds. It’s important all of these kids who are being represented by someone who knows what they’re doing. I’ve been presented with contracts recently that are overreaching.”

During his time at Jackson State, Deion Sanders oversaw a new locker room built. He also had a number of players secure lucrative NIL partnerships, including deals with Actively Black, The Michael Strahan Brand, Brady, Mercedes-Benz and SoHoodie.

There will be plenty of national attention on Edwards during his time with Sanders in Boulder. Finding opportunities will not be a problem.

“Prime has shown himself to be very adept in providing opportunities for his players at Jackson State,” McGriff said. “I just expect him to continue to do the same thing. He’s all about helping the kids get opportunities.”

Dylan Edwards’ On3 NIL Valuation

The Colorado commit currently has a $34,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 450 high school football NIL evaluations.

With his recent flip to the Buffaloes, Dylan Edwards has seen a notable uptick in his social media following which now sits north of 66,000. He has also built a TikTok account with more than 47,000 followers, something multiple brands have put a heavy emphasis on when signing marketing deals in the NIL space.

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.

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.