Dillon Gabriel helps Oregon teammates get 'iced out' through new NIL deal
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel has advocated for giving back throughout his NIL dealings.
Gabriel – rightfully so – generated national headlines earlier this summer with his “I’M INSPIRED” event where he presented his former Mililani High School football program with new uniforms and other gifts through partnerships with Nike, Guardian Caps, Raising Cane’s, Riddell, EvoShield and HawaiiUSA Federal Credit Union.
Now through a new NIL deal with The GLD Shop, Gabriel presented his Oregon teammates with custom-made jewelry from the brand during the team’s offseason retreat. The jewelry was school-themed with Oregon’s block O logo and another with the Duck mascot and a huge Nike swoosh.
Gabriel shared a video on social media of his appreciative teammates, including Tez Johnson and Brison Cobbins, rocking the jewelry and having fun. The Oregon-themed swag is now available on The GLD Shop’s website.
“I just want to send a huge shout-out to Shop GLD for icing the boys out,” Gabriel says in the post. “Thanks for getting us right.”
Dillon Gabriel has strong On3 NIL Valuation
The terms of the NIL partnership with The GLD Shop were not released to the public. However, Gabriel has one of the best personal brands in college football and a strong Roster Value, which is a big reason why his On3 NIL Valuation is $1.2 million.
The valuation ranks No. 13 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. 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.
NIL teaches Dillon Gabriel life lessons
Earlier this summer, Dillon Gabriel told On3 that NIL has changed his life. He also said he’s learned a lot from his business dealings.
Steven Smith, who represents Gabriel as an NIL talent manager for Legend Agency, has been crucial in helping the Oregon quarterback navigate this era of college sports. Smith has been with Gabriel since his time at UCF.
“I’ve learned I can’t donate a weight room back to the school right now,” he said. “I do know that, in the future, if you get people together, you can make it happen. And I think with this project, I realized, you can’t do it alone. You know, we’re not made to do life alone.”
Gabriel enters the 2024 season as a preseason All-Big Ten pick and a Heisman Trophy candidate. He ranks fourth in NCAA history in career total touchdowns (152), seventh in total yards (15,925), eighth in passing yards (14,865) and eighth in passing touchdowns (125). He was a unanimous All-Big 12 pick in 2023 at Oklahoma.