DJ Burns, Mark Sears headline NIL success stories entering Final Four

DJ Burns has captured the attention of fans and brands over the last 19 days.

The NC State transfer and multi-time transfer has become the heart of the Wolfpack during its historic run through the ACC tourney and NCAA Tournament. The story is not over yet.

Burns and company punched their ticket to the Final Four on Sunday night, sending NC State to the final weekend for the first time since 1983 when Jim Valvano hoisted the championship trophy. However, this time around, Burns, the 6-foot-9, 275-pound forward, will be profiting off his name, image and likeness.

Over the last week, Burns inked brand deals with adidas, Barstool Sports, CVS Pharmacy, Daps, Manscaped, Raising Cane’s and Intuit TurboTax. He’s gained well over 30,000 social media followers since the ACC Tournament, and the uptick is not slowing down.

He even drew praise from Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic on Sunday night.

“I think he’s so skilled, especially lefty … seems like teammates like to play with him,” the defending NBA champion said.

DJ Burns expands brand through NIL deals

Now Burns – who transferred to NC State after starting at Tennessee and Winthrop – will have the next week to continue capitalizing. The Wolfpack’s unexpected run creates the ideal storyline for companies wanting to enter the marketplace and spend dollars on NIL. Reaching nearly superstar status, Burns delivered again Sunday with 29 points, four rebounds and three assists in the win over Duke.

As Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence, Altius Sports Partners CEO Casey Schwab and countless agents have repeatedly told On3 in recent months, the leading reason brands aren’t jumping into the space is education. The next week will provide the platform to learn and receive a return on investment.

Men’s NCAA Tournament creating stars

Popularity continues to grow in the women’s game. Monday night’s Elite Eight matchup between LSU and Iowa is the most-anticipated game the sport possibly has ever seen thanks to names like Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark. But if the Women’s NCAA Tournament had star recognition, the men’s tourney created them. 

Alabama guard Marks Sears scored 23 points and hit seven 3s helping the Tide reach its first Final Four in program history. The former Ohio transfer inked partnerships with C4 Energy, Daps and TurboTax in recent days, facilitated by A&P Agency.

Both Burns and Sears are embodiments of what college basketball is today. Each transfers, Burns is a grad student and is now revamping himself at NC State. He’s also a businessman, recently telling Barstool he owns several vending machines that turn a profit. Sears used the portal to catapult himself onto a bigger stage after turning heads in the Mid-American Conference.

UConn and Purdue have star power, with names like Zach Edey and Donovan Clingan. Dan Hurley just might be the next leading face in the sport. Yet, Burns and Sears illustrate how the current college sports landscape benefits athletes.

“He’s grown so much. He’s grown as a person and as a leader. Last year he could score the basketball but he wasn’t very efficient in assist-to-turnover ratio,” NC State coach Kevin Keatts said last week. “When you look at his stats now, he’s really hard to guard. No. 1, there are very few guys who can play with their back to the basket. Let alone, he is a lefty.

“… He’s really matured and it’s really helped our team. I don’t know where we would be without DJ Burns. I want him to keep playing, I want us to win it all because I know he is going to get a call from ‘Dancing with the Stars’ as soon as this is over.”