NIL Deals of the Week: Angel Reese, Flau'jae Johnson cash in following Final Four

There’s no questioning the biggest winner of March Madness from an NIL perspective was Angel Reese.

She helped lead LSU to a national championship win over Iowa on Sunday, which brought in 9.9 million viewers – the most-watched women’s basketball game of all time. And she showed off her unapologetic style of play, throwing Iowa’s Caitlin Clark a “you can’t see me” celebration before pointing out her ring finger in the game’s closing seconds.

For the criticism of her actions, Reese’s national profile has only continued to balloon. As of Saturday morning, she has more than 3.3 million social media followers across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter. Her On3 NIL Valuation is on the rise, sitting at $876,000.

She’s really only just getting started in the NIL space, too. Only a sophomore, er agent, Jeanine Ogbonnaya, told On3 in a phone interview earlier this week that Reese is just starting to evaluate her opportunities.

As a reminder, feel free to submit info on your NIL deal to On3. You can send an email to [email protected] or reach out via DM or comment on Twitter to @On3NIL or @deals_nil. Direct messages are open, too, on the @On3NIL Instagram account.

Let’s get to the deals that highlighted this week in NIL.

Angel Reese, Flau’jae Johnson partner with Campus Ink, Raising Cane’s

Entering the NCAA tournament, Angel Reese and Flau’jae Johnson were already two of the larger names in NIL and women’s basketball. Following last weekend’s Final Four and national championship win over Iowa, each have seen their notoriety take off.

The pair of LSU stars each have more than a million followers on Instagram now. Brands have been lining up for nearly a week to align with them. Their first deal following LSU’s first national title was with Raising Cane’s, the fast-food restaurant that was founded in Baton Rouge. Along with Alexis Morris and head coach Kim Mulkey, Reese and Johnson spent Wednesday’s lunch hour working as crew members at the restaurant.

They also have released their own limited edition basketball jerseys that fans can buy. Through a partnership with Campus Ink, the apparel and merchandise company has opened up pre-orders for limited edition jerseys.

As part of the agreements, each athlete will profit between $8 and $15 per each jersey sold, Campus Ink NIL director Adam Cook confirmed to On3. With a cost of $89.99, the uniform comes in purple with a tiger print running down the side. Each athlete’s jersey features LSU and their number on the front, with their name and number featured on the back.

Johnson is a rap star off the court, touting a record deal with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation. She’s teased a possible collaboration with Lil Wayne. She has an On3 NIL Valuation of $752,000, roughly a 12% growth in the last week. She ranks No. 5 in the women’s basketball NIL rankings.

San Diego State’s Matt Bradley signs NIL deal with Caktus AI

San Diego State guard Matt Bradley dropped 18 points in the Final Four, leading the Aztecs to their first national title game appearance. And despite the eventual loss to UConn, there’s no questioning his marketability soared throughout March Madness.

It’s one of the reasons he became the third athlete to sign with  with Caktus AI. The artificial intelligence has become an agressive spender in the name, image and likeness space, striking partnerships with LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne and Miami basketball’s Cavinder twins.

A senior majoring in interdisciplinary studies, Bradley mentioned how Caktus AI has assisted when asked how he’s managed school with athletics during the NCAA tournament after the win over Florida Atlantic. Caktus AI co-founder Harrison Leonard said the company asked Bradley to promote the brand in a media setting.

“Yeah, it’s been the longest month I’ve been apart of,” Bradley said. “Every day I dedicate to being better as a player, as a teammate but off the court, we definitely have the resources to get us better in the classroom. We have tutors here, we have some free time to do whatever I got to do. Caktus AI comes through clutch when I’m getting organized. It’s hard, but it’s manageable.”

Glacier Marketing Group facilitated the deal. Glacier confirmed to On3 that Bradley saw his Instagram grow 130% in the past month. The San Diego State star also received product packages from Oakley, Sprayground and Cuts.

Since Dunne’s TikTok went live at the end of February, Caktus has seen a serious uptick in sign ups and website activity. Bradley finished the season as San Diego State’s leading scorer and has a $170,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

Lamont Butler aligns with Urban Outfitters, Level Select

Lamont Butler always will be associated with his last-second shot that put San Diego State in its first-ever national title game. The shot also significantly elevated his NIL value.

“After kind of getting out the elation of the shot, I went straight to work just texting as many people as I could, just trying to figure out ‘OK, how can we capitalize off of this?’” Deshaun Harris, the CEO of the agency Intrusive Sports that represents Butler, told On3’s Andy Wittry.

Following the shot last Saturday, Butler joined Postgame’s Urban Outfitters campaign and signed with Level Select, which is a company that sells therapeutic sports creams.

Harris estimated “a good 15 companies,” both regional and national brands, inquired about potential partnerships with Butler over the weekend, not including some of the opportunities Bullard and Athletiverse sourced. Harris previously told On3 that Butler had nine paid partnerships before the Final Four.

Not only did Butler’s opportunity for deals rise, the amount he was being paid doubled. Harris told On3 that his pay for a social media advertisement nearly doubled and tripled following the shot.

Ohio State’s Marvin Harrison Jr. lands car from Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet

Marvin Harrison Jr. has made a point to methodically craft his NIL approach. For starters, the Ohio State wide receiver is one of the most marketable college football players in the country. But as the son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, the Buckeyes receiver doesn’t have to accept ever opportunity thrown his way.

As an ambassador for the Monarc robotic quarterback, the partnership does not include a cash component. The 6-foot-4, 205-pound receiver also has a partnership with the Ohio State-driven Cohesion Foundation to do charity work with the Ronald McDonald House. He’ll also be at The Foundation‘s spring festival later this month, too.

Harrison is also driving around a new car, courtesy of Mark Wahlberg Chevrolet of Columbus. The star receiver signed with the dealership at the end of February and received the keys to a Chevrolet Tahoe. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, he was a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award this past season.

Harrison is the fifth Ohio State player to join Wahlberg’s NIL program.

“We’re very excited about the deal,” general manager Brian Gilmore told On3 on Thursday. “Obviously, Marvin’s a big name for us. He’s also a great kid. He’s close friends with a couple of our kids, so that’s how the deal came about. Great name recognition for us.

“He liked it because we don’t smother our kids and ask them to do too much. That side was very important to him. He’s a great kid and he’s so concentrated on football. We didn’t want to take away from that.”

As part of the agreement, Harrison will post a couple times on his social media and make an appearance before the fall. Gilmore said the dealership places an emphasis on making sure the partnerships don’t suck up too much time. They’ve partnered with athletes for charity work in the past.

The Ohio State star had 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2022. He has a $1.3 million On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 10 of college football.

FAU’s Johnell Davis signs deal with Adam Weitsman through Owl Collective

Johnell Davis was a big piece of Florida Atlantic’s run to the Final Four. He dropped 29 points, along with 12 rebounds, five assists and five steals against Fairleigh Dickinson in the second round. And the elevated platform allowed him to tell his story.

“I’m just trying to feed my family, that’s all,” Davis said to a sideline reporter after the game. The Gary, Indiana, native didn’t have a simple path to FAU. Gary is widely considered one of the toughest cities in the Midwest.

His moment on national television caught the eye of IP attorney Darren Heitner. An active name in the NIL world, he’s worked with athletes, institutions and collectives. He is also the lawyer for Adam Weitsman, who is the owner and chief executive officer of Upstate Shredding. The entrepreneur is also a Syracuse booster, making headlines in recent months for his NIL work with the Orange basketball team.

Weitsman made the decision to venture out of upstate New York, however, in his latest NIL deal. After trying to make contact with Davis’ camp over the last week, Heitner was able to connect with the FAU-focused Owl Collective.

Weitsman signed an NIL agreement with Davis last Saturday worth $10,000, facilitated by the NIL collective. As part of the agreement, the FAU player will do charitable work in the Boca Raton area at the conclusion of the NCAA tournament.

“I felt compelled to offer a hand after hearing about Johnell Davis’ interview where he said that he was just trying to feed his family,” Weitsman told On3. “Here is an athlete who has proven himself throughout the NCAA Tournament and shined on the largest stage when his FAU team needed him most. I hope that he is able to use the money I’ve provided to benefit his family and am excited that our deal will also cause him to pay it forward by offering to help educate and assist those battling hunger in the Florida region.”

Honorable Mention

• North Carolina commit Ian Jackson promoted the Air Jordan ‘Skyline’ sneaker in an NIL deal with Extra Butter.
• Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate has brought on Rosenhaus Sports (RSR) for NIL representation.
• UCF quarterback John Rhys Plumlee has signed an agreement with Dove Men. The deal was announced Wednesday and was facilitated by GSE Worldwide agent Jeff Weiner.
• Clemson‘s Christopher Vizzina and Florida State‘s Brock Glenn have each brought on QB Reps for NIL representation.
• Knights of the Raritan and the nonprofit organization EcoAthletes have partnered with Rutgers athletes for a campaign focused on addressing climate change. Gymnast Kaitlyn Bertola, track athlete Alex Carlson, lacrosse player Kelsey Klein and swimmers Halé Oal and Natalie Schick are participating in the campaign.