Florida State soccer star Jenna Nighswonger donates NIL proceeds to breast cancer research

Jenna Nighswonger is one of the top women’s soccer players in the country. She played a key role in Florida State’s 2021 national championship season. And through 12 games this season, Nighswonger’s accumulated 18 points with four goals and 10 assists.

That resume helped her recently land a NIL deal with Garnet & Gold to sell her officially licensed No. 2 jersey. Now Nighswonger is using that NIL deal to create positivity.

“In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I will be donating $1,000 to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation,” Nighswonger said. “I will be using my NIL proceeds from the sale of my jersey at Garnet & Gold to make this contribution.”

The Breast Cancer Research Foundation is the world’s largest private funder of breast cancer research and metastatic breast cancer research. According to the most recent statistics, one in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in her life and 11% of women that get it in the United State are younger than 45 years old.

Nighswonger said BCRF will be holding a fundraiser with a goal of $15,000 which they will then match two times over.

Nighswonger’s donation is a good start to the fundraiser, especially since cancer has impacted her family.

“Funding research is critical in fighting breast cancer and finding a cure,” Nighswonger said. “My grandmother passed away from breast cancer in her early 70s. But thanks to advancement in treatments due to research, it has allowed multiple family members to be breast cancer survivors.”

Nighswonger said sales from her deal with Garnet & Gold, which was facilitated by Seminole-focused collective Rising Spear, have been awe-inspiring. She said she knew it was the right thing to do to give back.

Jenna Nighswonger has top 20 soccer On3 NIL Valuation

Jenna Nighswonger returned to Florida State this fall after playing an impact role in the Seminoles winning the 2021 national championship.

Nighswonger played in all 25 games last season, starting in 13 of them. She totaled 1,619 minutes played, good for sixth-most on the team. Nighswonger finished the season fifth on the team in points with 14 coming off three goals and a career-high eight assists. Along with her work with Florida State, Nighswonger was a member of the U14, U16, U17, U18, U19, U20 and U23 U.S. National Team.

Nighswonger currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $9,200. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future. She also ranks No. 18 on the On3 College Women’s Soccer NIL Ranking.