Missouri football players use NIL rights for frozen pizza collaboration

Missouri starting linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper and cornerbacks Ennis Rakestraw Jr. and Kris Abrams-Draine used their NIL rights to market a line of frozen pizzas. The collective Every True Tiger Foundation facilitated the NIL opportunity for the Mizzou student-athletes.

Every True Tiger Foundation worked with Haystack Sourcing Solutions to find Andoro & Sons Pizza, which is the vendor of the frozen pizzas. The pizzas are available in Missouri and Illinois at 83 locations of the supermarket chain Schnucks, which was founded in St. Louis. The mega meat pizza includes pepperoni, bacon and sausage with a seven-cheese blend. Andoro & Sons Pizza produces other pizzas that are available in Schnucks.

The packaging features the three defensive starters for eight weeks. Then, a new set of Missouri athletes will be featured. It’s a 12-month program, so basketball players will be featured in the future, as well as athletes who compete in spring sports.

“Really for these student-athletes, it’s a value to what they’re already doing as contract employees for us,” said Every True Tiger Foundation CEO Nick Garner. “It’s more than just saying, ‘Hey, here’s your X amount. Here are the things you need to do for it.’ Yes. But it’s truly an NIL deal and that’s what excites us about it.”

Packing promotes states for Missouri players

The packaging features the Missouri Tigers logo, Every True Tiger Foundation’s name and logo, plus the players’ names and images of them in uniform. Garner said Missouri received a licensing fee.

“We’ve been working on figuring out ways that not only do we have contracted student-athletes that are ambassadors of ETT but how can we help elevate their personal brands?” Garner said. “How can we help create brand opportunities for them? Not saying everybody wants to see themself on a frozen pizza but [for] the student-athlete, it’s kind of cool to see themselves.”

There are a few bullet points containing key stats below each player’s name.

One notes that Rakestraw was “3rd Team All-SEC in ’22” and “#15 nationally and #4 in SEC in pass break-ups in ’22.”

“What also makes it cool and unique are the stats that are about the (athletes),” Garner said. “It’s a little bit different.”

The players “have each taken their talents to the next level this season,” according to the frozen pizza’s packaging. It noted, “They all came back…for one more year at HOME,” with a picture of the state of Missouri replacing the letter “O.”

Garner noted St. Louis is home to Missouri’s largest alumni base, while calling Schnucks a St. Louis-heavy supermarket.

“It’s all about the state of Missouri and the region,” Garner said. “If we did a big, national frozen pizza deal, it doesn’t make a ton of sense. But it does make sense in the 83 Schnucks stores and there could be others down the line, and we’re close to getting this overall partnership done.”

Discussions about more co-branded products

Garner had a call with Schnucks Thursday morning regarding a potential expansion of Every True Tiger Foundation’s partnership with the supermarket chain. It could include co-branded products such as ice cream, chips or coffee, for example.

“I’ll tell you that this is the first of what we hope to be a number of different products that come out,” Garner said.

There are now several examples of co-branded food items that utilize the NIL rights of Missouri football players.

Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden, a former Five-Star Plus+ recruit who received five-star status from all four major recruiting services, recently partnered with Imo’s Pizza.

Last fall, he utilized his NIL rights for a special edition line of chips with Old Vienna of St. Louis. He promoted the chips when he announced he was returning to school.

Every True Tiger Foundation pursues corporate partners

The frozen pizza is produced through a corporate partnership in which the vendor pays Every True Tiger Foundation. The collective then compensates Missouri athletes through their respective contractual agreements.

The compensation varies based on the athlete and their respective value.

“People are seeking donors, right?” Garner said. “This is just more the corporate side to say, ‘How can we help fund NIL opportunities through the corporate side?’ And this is a real way that then we can turn around and continue to provide the compensation.”

Garner declined to comment on the specific financials of the agreement.

“It’s more of, ‘Hey, here is an effort that we’re making to better fund Mizzou NIL efforts,'” Garner said.

Missouri football players sign with NIL collective

Each of the three players announced partnerships with Every True Tiger Foundation in January. In a video Abrams-Draine posted on Instagram, he said, “I’m excited to announce that I’ll be working with Every True Tiger Foundation this year to help out nonprofits.”

Hopper transferred from Florida, where he spent three seasons. He started 12 games at Mizzou last season when he had 77 total tackles and 14 tackles for loss.

Abrams-Draine started 12 games last season, while also appearing on kick returns. He had 48 total tackles and 14 pass breakups. Fellow cornerback Rakestraw started all 13 games last season when he recorded 36 total tackles, 12 pass breakups and three forced fumbles.

Hopper has an On3 NIL Valuation of $276,000, Abrams-Draine’s is $266,000 and Rakestraw’s is $234,000.

Every True Tiger Foundation launched in 2022 as a nonprofit corporation. Every True Tiger Foundation’s website brands the collective as “the preferred NIL collective of Mizzou Athletics.”

In May, Missouri Gov. Mike Parson received House Bill 417, which says school employees can negotiate NIL deals, tax-exempt charitable organizations can enter into deals and high school athletes can participate in NIL activities after signing a written agreement to enroll at an in-state school.

As it pertains to the possibility of states in the SEC’s footprint potentially trying to align their state legislation regarding NIL deals, Missouri Rep. Kurtis Gregory, who’s a former Mizzou right guard, recently told On3, “I feel like we’re at the top in terms of what we have in statute right now. I’d have a hard time wanting to give that up.”