USC wide receiver Jordan Addison signs NIL deal with United Airlines

USC wide receiver Jordan Addison, the reigning Biletnikoff Award winner who transferred from Pitt in the offseason, announced an NIL deal with United Airlines on Monday. Sources told On3 the deal was brokered by BLVD, the media agency with which USC has partnered, with plans for a larger announcement next week.

“New routes coming this fall,” Addison wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. “United Airlines has direct flights from college towns across the country to help you follow your team without layovers. This season, you can fly directly from LA to watch our games against Oregon State and Arizona. Let’s go let’s go!”

The Trojans will face the Beavers on Sept. 24 and the Wildcats on Oct. 29.

The NIL impact of USC’s agreement with BLVD

USC announced its agreement with BLVD in June and the media agency ranks No. 6 on On3’s list of the most ambitious NIL collectives. BLVD’s goal is to secure $75 million in NIL agreements within five years.

The announcement of another NIL collective designed to support USC athletes called Student Body Right created a conundrum in L.A.

A high-ranking USC official provided a statement to On3 that said, in part, “We would be very wary of anyone launching a NIL initiative who has no known connection to the athletics program and no proven track record of supporting our student-athletes.”

The situation among USC fans and donors is just one example of how the creation of more than one NIL collective within a single fan base can create pushback from others. However, USC’s agreement with BLVD is paying dividends already.

Jordan Addison’s On3 NIL Valuation

Addison’s On3 NIL Valuation of $1.4 million ranks ninth among college football players and No. 13 in the NIL 100. Last season, Addison had 100 receptions for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns for Pitt.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. It calculates an athlete’s projected NIL value for up to 12 months in the future using data points including an athlete’s performance, influence and exposure.

The On3 NIL Valuation doesn’t act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals that an athlete has completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL market value for the athlete’s entire career.

The NIL 100 is the first-of-its-kind NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by market valuation.

Addison previously signed deals with Bowser Automotive and Tickets for Kids while attending Pitt.

“It was definitely frustrating, but I wasn’t too concerned with it because the truth always comes to the light,” Addison said at a recent media availability, regarding rumors about his decision to transfer to USC. “So, I know what my focus is and my intent, so all of that is just outside noise.”

On3’s Pete Nakos contributed to the reporting.