Nebraska's Lexi Rodriguez becomes first female NIL athlete to sign with Panini America

When Lexi Rodriguez first started looking for NIL deals as a freshman, she admitted her goal was to get a couple of free sweatshirts and coupons.

How things have changed.

The Nebraska volleyball star has become one of the leading faces of the sport on the court. Now in her third year, she’s developed into one of the nation’s top liberos. A two-time Big Ten first-team selection, she’s also become a leading name in NIL.

Rodriguez signed an endorsement deal with Panini America on Monday, becoming the first female college athlete to sign with the trading card company. As part of the agreement, Panini is launching three different cards.

“I definitely don’t think I would believe that,” she told On3 when asked if she would believe she would sign a trading card deal as a freshman. “Just because when NIL first started my freshman year, I was just trying to get a free sweatshirt, some coupons to eat some free food. Now that my picture and just my name mean something to other people out there, I think it’s really cool. And I’m glad that Panini has kind of given me the chance to really take this opportunity to grow.”

The trading card partnership goes past NIL for Rodriguez, though. She said that throughout this season, she’s actually had fans come up to her and ask if she has a trading card. Being able to actually say she now does is a significant achievement for her.

Rodriguez also said that being able to blaze a path for future female athletes to work with Panini America makes the deal special. Panini has previously worked with a range of top college football players, including USC’s Zachariah Branch, Washington’s Rome Odunze and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers.

“I want to inspire the next generation of little girls,” she said. “I feel like that’s the majority of my following and my fan base. And so I’m always super excited whenever I receive opportunities, especially when it’s like the first female athlete to do it. I think it’s really a really cool opportunity because I want to make sure I’m sending out that message to little girls that kind of look up to me.”

Lexi Rodriguez watches sport continue to grow

The Huskers are currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, coming off a weekend sweep. Rodriguez has seen the sport continue to grow throughout her career. Earlier this year she took part in Volleyball Day in Nebraska, which broke the world attendance record for a women’s sporting event with 92,003 in attendance.

When Nebraska and Wisconsin clashed in a five-set match earlier this month, the total average viewership on the Big Ten Network was 612,000. BTN announced announced it was the largest-ever audience for a regular-season match on any network.

“The past three years, I definitely have seen so much growth in the sport and just in the attention around, not even just volleyball, like all women’s sports,” she said. “I think it’s been really cool because, especially when I got here, Nebraska has always had a huge fan base that has cared about volleyball. But I feel like in the past two to three years, it has really grown all over the country. And no matter where I go, there are always people who are just now huge volleyball fans.

“I know that Nebraska is always going to have this amazing fan base, but it’s really cool to see it grow outside of the state.”

Why does deal make sense for Panini America?

Along with her success as a volleyball player, Lexi Rodriguez has developed a notable following. The junior has more than 105,000 social media followers. Brands have lined up to work with her as well, including adidas, Runza and Scooter’s Coffee.

With Nebraska poised to make a run at the national championship, Rodriguez will only continue to see her marketability rise.

“Lexi is an outstanding athlete and a trailblazer for us, in that she represents our first partnership with a female collegiate NIL athlete,” Panini’s senior VP of marketing and athlete relations Jason Howarth said. “We look forward to featuring her as part of our NIL products and taking part in marketing initiatives.”