Ohio State's Kyle McCord enters NIL deal with Rhoback

Much of the college football world has kept their attention on Ohio State and Kyle McCord this summer.

The former five-star prospect has all the tangibles to be the Buckeyes’ next starting quarterback. Entrenched in a battle for the starting job with Devin Brown, McCord backed up C.J. Stroud the last two years.

The competition could carry over to Ohio State’s season opener at Indiana. Either way, most of the country knows who the third-year quarterback is. It’s why the Rhoback has tapped McCord as a leading face of its NIL program.

He becomes the fifth college football star to sign with the activewear brand this month, joining Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Penn State running back Nick Singleton and Notre Dame tailback Audric Estimé as long-term ambassadors.

“I am incredibly excited to be working with Rhoback as my official apparel sponsor and become a leading face of their Rhoback U program,” McCord said in a statement to On3. “It’s easy to see why they have become one of the fastest growing activewear brands in the country. Their products are the most comfortable I have worn and their media house continues to set the standard with engaging content. I particularly love their emphasis on an active lifestyle as well. I am pumped to be a part of Team Rhoback and help lead Rhoback U this season.” 

As part of the deal, he will be compensated and have an opportunity to earn commission for the sales he drives to Rhoback. The quarterback will also receive a substantial amount of gear. Another unique aspect of working with the company is content creation. Rhoback allows athletes to work with its media house, creating brand messaging, along with content creation for social media channels.

In two seasons of backup work, the 6-foot-3, 215-pounder has thrown for 606 yards with three touchdowns and two interceptions in 12 games. Kyle McCord was 13 of 18 for 319 yards and two touchdowns in his one career start against Akron in 2021.

Rhoback’s aggressive NIL strategy

The activewear brand continues to return to the NIL space for marketing. The Charlottesville, Virginia, company started its Rhoback U program in July 2021, shortly after the NCAA made its move. The program allows athletes from all sports and divisions to apply, with more than 3,000 deals signed to date.

Rhoback has also spent significant dollars working with top talent in college football. JT Daniels and Kyle Hamilton were the headliners of the inaugural ambassador program. Last year’s fall campaign was led by Alabama‘s Will Anderson, Notre Dame’s Michael Mayer and Texas running back Bijan Robinson.

In the past, Rhoback has focused on tapping into the college football fanbase with athletes in the SEC footprint. In the last two weeks, the brand has signed athletes at the ACC, Big Ten and independent level.

“We are excited to join Kyle McCord’s team as his official apparel sponsor,” Rhoback said in a statement to On3. “The New Jersey native, and new face of Rhoback U will lead the program this Fall and pave a new legacy for himself. Kyle’s love for the game and desire to compete immediately stood out and we couldn’t be more excited to introduce Kyle to the Rhoback community.

“Be on the lookout for fun content, showcasing both Kyle’s impressive talent and fun personality. We are proud to be a part of Kyle’s team as he helps take Rhoback U to the next level.” 

Kyle McCord’s budding NIL brand

The Ohio State quarterback has not won the job outright yet. But multiple Columbus businesses have started to work with him, leveraging his name, image and likeness. Back in June, the junior signed with Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet. As part of the deal, he received the keys to a a 2023 Mercedes-Benz AMG GT 53. 

Previously, he had signed with the Ohio-State driven NIL collectives Cohesion Foundation and The Foundation. More than 200 collectives have populated the college athletics landscape since the inception of NIL in July 2021. They have become necessary to compete in college football and basketball, with wide swaths of donors coming together to pool funds.

Kyle McCord has more than 57,000 followers, making him an attractive name name for brands. If he wins the starting, multiple Columbus brands will want to partner with him. He holds a $123,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 600 of the college football NIL rankings.

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 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.