How Kansas freshman Gradey Dick crafted his Long McArthur Ford NIL partnership

Gradey Dick is already finding unique ways to market his Kansas upbringing.

The former five-star recruit has inked an NIL deal with Salina-based Long McArthur Ford car dealership, which calls for the Jayhawks freshman to appear in a range of of TV commercials. Serving as executive producer, Dick played a major role in crafting the message behind the “Give Everything” campaign. He even identified the production company he wanted to shoot the spots.

The series of advertisements are set to start running on Nov. 7 and will run through the entirety of the college basketball season in the Sunflower State. Dickey loves to get creative with his social media, especially with more than 55,000 followers on TikTok. The commercials gave him an opportunity to take his love from the phone to TV screen.

“This ad in particular, he was really the creative director and executive producer behind it,” WME Sports communications rep Jon Olivero told On3. “He had a vision after seeing so many ads throughout his life of what he wanted to create and draw the connection between. Really giving everything and pouring everything into it.

“This summer, when they were putting it together, he was drawing up storyboards. He was the one that went out and found the production company that ended up shooting the thing.”

Long McArthur Ford has become a name to know for NIL deals in the state, recently signing Kansas State quarterback Adrian Martinez. Now Dick is partnering with the dealership, with messaging aimed at his Kansas roots.

Dick has an opportunity to turn this into a long-term partnership if he wishes, too. One of the top talents to come out of Kansas in recent memory, he has not hesitated to jump into NIL. Working closely with WME Sports, he’s signed deals with Charlie Hustle and Coaches vs. Cancer.

It’s only a starting point for the 6-foot-8, 205-pound small forward.

“It’s been an amazing experience being able to partner with Long McArthur for this campaign, and not just because I love, and drive Ford,” Dick said in a statement. “As a Kansas kid, through-and-through, it’s great to align with a team that values this state just as much as I do, and is just as dedicated as I am to doing their best to deliver for it.

“That’s the whole concept of Give Everything, it’s the way I approach basketball, the way Long McArthur approaches service, the way Ford approaches its cars, and the way our great state approaches life.”

Fitting into Kansas basketball

Ever since he was a kid, Gradey Dick has been a Kansas basketball fan. Now he’s actually on the team and finding his way to fit into a roster that just won a national championship.

He earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors in his final season playing for prep powerhouse Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kansas. The only other Kansas player to earn that distinction was Andrew Wiggins.

A one-and-done season is not an afterthought, either. Dick is expected to go in the top 20 of the 2023 NBA Draft, according to ESPN’s last mock draft. Getting Kansas back to Final Four could make him a lottery pick.

“On the basketball side, we have high hopes for for how he’ll be able to contribute and what that might mean,” Olivero said. “I think a big part of this campaign, and in partnering with Long MacArthur, is Gradey is Kansas born and bred. That’ll always be part of him.”

WME is making sure to use that marketability factor in the present. A top-20 recruit in his class, Dick is able to monetize his NIL. Capitalizing on and off the court will be a priority this season.

“So much what we’ve seen in the NIL Space is driven by personalities off the court as well as skillset on the court,” Olivero added. “And Gradey, he’s such a unique combination of those two. He’s pouring everything he has into basketball, five-star guy, Kansas product. And at the same time, when he has those few minutes off the court, he’s one of the funniest kids we’ve been around.”

Gradey Dick’s On3 NIL Valuation

The Kansas freshman currently holds an On3 NIL evaluation of $176,000. He’s seen his valuation grow 141%, roughly $103,000, over the past 14 weeks. 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 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.

Gradey Dick’s evaluation ranks No. 40 in college basketball. The McDonald’s All-American has also built up a major social media following. He has a per post value of $1,500.