Hanna Cavinder offers advice to incoming top recruits regarding NIL: ‘Jump at every opportunity you have’

Hanna Cavinder and Haley Cavinder, the basketball-playing twins who were two of the early stars of the NIL era of college sports, have learned plenty in their time around the sport. And they shared a bit with On3’s Andy Staples during the 2024 On3 Elite Series.

Speaking with Staples, it was Hannah Cavinder dishing on her main advice to top recruits in the NIL space. The main point: Don’t be shy to embrace the opportunities that come your way.

I think the advice I would give is just jump at every opportunity you have,” Hanna Cavinder said. “You never know the places it’ll take you or the people that you will meet. That’s what we did and I think just taking one day at a time.”

And she acknowledged things can be hectic, and having the proper network of support and guidance is key, too.

“I know things can get overwhelming, but if you have the right people in your corner and you stay grounded, it’s going to be amazing,” Hanna Cavinder said. 

The Cavinders are back at Miami this year

Shortly after Hanna Cavinder announced she would return to Miami for the 2024-25 season, it became evident that Haley Cavinder was leaving TCU to join her sister in South Beach, a move that has since been completed.

The duo announced a year ago they were stepping away from Miami and college athletics. At the time, the NIL stars had become two of the biggest names in college athletics and helped the Hurricanes reach the Elite Eight.

Haley Cavinder entered the transfer portal in October, deciding to re-enter the college basketball world after making a very public decision to leave college basketball. She announced her transfer portal commitment to TCU in November.

Her departure from Fort Worth arrives on the same day news broke that LSU transfer Hailey Van Lith is committing to TCU. In three seasons at Louisville, Van Lith averaged 15.4 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.5 assists on 42.2% shooting from the field (33.7% from 3-point range). In a career year at Louisville as a junior in 2022-23, she averaged 19.7 points and 3.2 assists per game.

The Cavinder Twins announced their first NIL deal with Boost Mobile in Times Square on the first day of college sports’ new era on July 1, 2021. From there, they’ve used their combined social media following of more than 5 million to sign with brands like Raising Cane’s, Victoria’s Secret PINK and Champs Sports.