Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels joins adidas’ NIL ambassador network

Jalon Daniels led Kansas to its first postseason appearance since 2008 this season.

He’s now inked the most notable NIL deal of his career. The quarterback has signed an endorsement deal with adidas, serving as a brand ambassador. He announced the news on his Instagram.

The Kansas-focused NIL collective Mass Strategies assisted in facilitating the deal. The partnership proves to be more than a typical sponsorship.

Kansas is an adidas school, meaning the quarterback will be able to represent the brand on the field. Athletes who have signed with sportswear companies have been limited in the NIL Era, forced to wear their institution’s gear in competition.

While Daniels will be involved in marketing campaigns and post on social media, he will also be rocking adidas whenever he steps onto the field.

“You only get this type of reach when you overextend,” Daniels wrote on Instagram.

The Jayhawks fell 55-53 in three overtimes to Arkansas in the Liberty Bowl. Daniels willed Kansas back into the game, scoring six total touchdowns and passing for 544 yards — both Liberty Bowl records. He finished with 2,014 passing yards with 18 touchdowns and just four interceptions in nine games.

While adidas is arguably his most notable NIL deal to date, he has previously signed with Legacy Restaurant Group, Applebee’s, RockChalk.io and Pepsi.

Adidas continues NIL push

Daniels is just the latest college athlete to sign with adidas.

The brand announced last month it had executed deals with Northwestern State’s Hansel Enmanuel, Kansas’ Gradey Dick and Indiana’s Trayce Jackson-Davis and Jalen Hood-Schifinio.

And that comes after the sportswear giant announced this past spring the formation of a nationwide NIL program. All athletes at Division I schools with adidas partners are eligible. More than 50,000 athletes at 109 schools across 23 sports qualified for this.

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Title IX in September, adidas also signed 15 female athletes to endorsement agreements.

Jalon Daniels’ On3 NIL Valuation

The quarterback currently holds a $93,000 On3 NIL Valuation. The evaluation ranks No. 503 in college football.

Along with his NIL success this season, he’s built a solid social media following with more than 90,000 followers.

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.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

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 accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. 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. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.