Duke commit Jared McCain signs with Excel for NIL representation

Jared McCain is taking the necessary steps to further his brand.

The Duke commit has quickly established himself as one of the top talents in the country on the basketball court and NIL space. The five-star recruit has built a social media following of more than 2.2 million.

He’s now signed with Excel Sports Management for NIL representation. McCain has not struggled to find NIL deals even before enrolling at Duke. Because California is one of 21 states that allows high schoolers to monetize their Name, Image and Likeness, McCain has been able to turn his growing brand into opportunities.

In the past few months, the reigning California Gatorade Player of the Year has signed with Lemon Perfect, crocs and Champs Sports. Icona Agency facilitated all three deals.

“Excel Sports Management will represent Jared in endorsements, marketing, licensing, business development and overall development of his brand,” Excel said in a statement to On3.

With McCain set to play for one of college basketball’s most prominent schools, the deal with Excel makes sense. It gives the senior at Corona Centennial High School, just outside of Los Angeles, the network and infrastructure to grow. The agency also can help him build a clothing line or business, if he has interest in expansion.

The Champs Sports partnership is a multi-year agreement that had him placed in promotion material for the company’s fall collection next to Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts. As part of the Lemon Perfect deal, the contract is set up to give the 6-foot-2, 180-pound guard an opportunity to act like an owner and get first-hand business experience.

The 18th-ranked player in the 2023 class, he chose the Blue Devils and first-year head coach Jon Scheyer over Gonzaga, UCLA, Louisville and Houston. The fourth-ranked player out of California in the 2023 class, he averaged 23 points this past season for Centennial. He also helped Team USA’s U18 national team bring home a gold medal at this summer’s FIBA U18 Americas Championship.

Jared McCain’s On3 NIL Valuation

McCain has an On3 NIL Valuation of $994,000, which ranks fourth in On3’s high school NIL basketball rankings.

He only trails Bronny James ($7.5 million), Mikey Williams ($3.5 million) and Bryce James ($1.1 million). He also comes in 23rd in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and the defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by market valuation.

“He’s done one heck of a job growing his own personal brand,” On3 national basketball analyst Joe Tipton said. “However, Duke will only strengthen it, especially in the NIL era.”

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.