Penn State running back Nick Singleton inks multi-year NIL partnership with Rhoback

Nick Singleton lived up to the hype of his five-star status as a freshman.

While losses to Michigan and Ohio State overshadowed Penn State‘s season, the program found its future star. Singleton has all the potential to become an All-American this season after rushing for more than 1,000 yards in his first year playing at the college level.

He’s big reason why the Nittany Lions appeared in the top 10 of the preseason AP poll released earlier this week. If Penn State can reach the Big Ten title game this year, his explosive ground game will be a reason why.

The Big Ten Freshman of the Year has now entered into a multi-year NIL partnership with Rhoback. As one of the leading faces of the activewear brand, he joins Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik and Alabama’s quarterback Jalen Milroe as long-term ambassadors.

Rhoback is well aware of what Singleton’s on-field accomplishments could be in the next few years. Along with his off-field demeanor, it’s the reason why they’re willing to make a financial commitment.

“I couldn’t be more excited to join forces with Rhoback as my official apparel sponsor and as a leading face of Rhoback U,” Singleton said in a statement. “Rhoback consistently produces top-tier products and sets new standards with their content creation. Their energy and enthusiasm resonates so much with me, and I’m eager to unveil our exciting plans for this season within the Penn State community. Being apart of one of the most rapidly advancing activewear brands is huge, and I am fired up to be on the team.”

As part of the deal, he will be compensated and have an opportunity to earn a commission for sales he drives for Rhoback. The 6-foot, 204-pound tailback 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.

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.

Rhoback has focused on tapping into the college football fanbase with athletes in the SEC footprint. Singleton is the company’s first Big Ten athlete to be signed as one of the brand’s “core athletes.” More ambassador announcements are expected in the next 10 days.

“We are thrilled to join Nick Singleton’s team as his official apparel sponsor,” Rhoback said. “After bursting onto the scene in 2022 as the Big 10 Freshman Player of the Year, Nick now finds himself on the Maxwell Award watchlist for the best player in all of college football. A native of Pennsylvania, Nick has established himself as a leader for the entire Penn State community.

“We couldn’t be more excited to join Nick’s team and introduce him to the Rhoback community through fun content as he leads the expansion of our Rhoback U collegiate sponsorship program.”

Nick Singleton’s growing NIL brand

The Penn State tail back rushed rushed for 12 touchdowns last year. He’s one of the top returning running backs in the nation. And he’s become a sought-after name in the NIL space around State College.

Nick Singleton has inked endorsement deals with West Shore Home and Philadelphia Sportscard & Memorabilia Show. He’s also working with the Penn State-driven NIL collective Happy Valley United. As part of his work with the NIL entity, he recently attended an event at the Avalon Yacht Club in New Jersey.

He also partnered with Gatorade to make a $12,500 donation to the Olivet Boys & Girls Club and the Mifflin Jr. Broncos youth football program. He’s built a strong social media platform with 71,000 followers, too.

Singleton has a $871,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 21 in the college football NIL rankings. His valuation is No. 30 in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

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.