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NIL Deals of the Week: Cade Klubnik lands truck, White Sox return to NIL

Nakos updated headshotby:Pete Nakos•05/13/23•

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As stories of tampering and lucrative NIL offers in recruiting and the transfer portal persist, brands continue to use college athletes as a marketing tool.

Gold’s Gym launched plans this week for a campaign featuring student-athletes targeted at a younger demographic. And more than 45 college athletes participated in a recent marketing campaign for McDonald‘s franchises located in and around the Atlantic Coast Conference‘s footprint. The Chicago White Sox decided to spend dollars on NIL for a second consecutive year, too.

All of this plays against the backdrop of administrators pushing for federal legislation on Capitol Hill. Companies are not slowed down by those efforts, though. The NIL market is only expanding.

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.

LSU’s Angel Reese joins 2023 SI Swimsuit

Angel Reese has become one of the most marketable college athletes following this spring’s national title run. Now she will appear in this year’s SI Swimsuit edition next to LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne, who was announced as part of the magazine last month.

LSU will have two athletes featured in this year’s edition of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, which is set to release May 18. They are the first two college athletes to ever appear in the swimsuit issue.

“We’ve done so much within a year,” Reese told SI. “We weren’t even supposed to be in the Final Four. We had nine new players, and it was coach [Kim Mulkey]’s second year in the SEC, so we didn’t know what to expect.”

Landing two athletes on the cover shows the success LSU has had in the NIL space across the past 22 months. Dunne is the most followed college athlete in the country. And maybe nobody else has seen their off-court profile rise like Reese.

A Maryland transfer, she immediately made LSU a national title contender in her first year in Baton Rouge. Her profile started to rise, too. Nicknamed the “Bayou Barbie” for her on-court demeanor and eyelash extensions and long pink nails, Reese has embraced college athletics’ NIL era. She filed to trademark the nickname and has been openly campaign for a partnership with the Mattel toy company.

Averaging a double-double on the court this past season, she signed endorsement deals with Bose, Coach and Sonic. The list has only grown following the national title, as her social media following has jumped to more than four million followers.

Reese is represented by Jeanine Ogbonnaya. The 6-foot-3 forward has seen her On3 NIL Valuation rise in unison with her social media following. Entering March Madness, Angel Reese had a $371,000 On3 NIL Valuation. Her valuation now is $1.4 million, which is the top-ranked women’s basketball valuation.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik signs with Fred Caldwell Chevrolet

Cade Klubnik has joined the club of college football players to enter into a car deal. The unquestioned Clemson starting quarterback has signed with Fred Caldwell Chevrolet, the dealership confirmed to On3 on Monday after the former five-star recruit in the 2022 cycle announced the news in an Instagram post.

Over the last two years, the Clover, South Carolina, based Chevrolet dealer has worked closely with Bryan Bresee. With the defensive tackle drafted in the first round of last month’s NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints, Fred Caldwell Chevrolet general manager Martin McKinley knew he would need to find a new partner if he wanted to continue his NIL program.

Klubnik was a no brainer. He was tapped as Clemson’s starting quarterback in the ACC Championship Game after spending most of last season behind DJ Uiagalelei. Coming off the bench late in the first quarter, he led the Tigers to a conference title throwing for 279 yards and a touchdown.

“I actually had Bryan Bresee in a truck for the last two years,” McKinley said. “When he decided to go pro, I had already developed a relationship with Cade’s representation. So I thought that was pretty easy. I’m a Clemson grad. I pay my IPTAY dollars. I just try to support my school. It’s more than that than anything for me.”

McKinley said he has already seen his return on investment through Klubnik’s promotion on social media. Since the quarterback posted about his new truck, the photo has been liked more than 20,500 times. The quarterback directly tagged Fred Caldwell in the caption, too. He holds a $335,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 125 of college football. His valuation is ranked third on the Clemson football team.

With NIL playing a factor in some recruitments, prospects can easily view Klubnik’s new car on social media and see the possibilities.

“If it helps them recruit, that’s great,” McKinley said. “I would never go to a high school and offer them a car to try to get them to go to Clemson or anything like that.”

Colorado’s Travis Hunter adds NIL deal with WaterLand Co.

Travis Hunter has long documented his love for fishing across his social media channels. Now the Colorado cornerback is finding NIL deals centered around his hobby. Hunter announced a partnership Thursday afternoon with WaterLand Co. on Instagram. Known for its premium polarized fishing sunglasses, the former On3 Five-Star Plus+ prospect is seen with a fish in his hands while wearing the sunglasses.

The tinted glasses provide fishers the capability to see underwater objects without noticing the water. According to the website, the action of a fish swimming over a bed beneath a tree can be seen thanks to product. Known for its ambassadorship programs with Bassmaster Elite Series members, the company has now expanded to college football.

“On the football field and on the water, our guy Travis Hunter gets the job done,” WaterLand wrote in the Instagram caption.

The former No. 2 recruit in the country has found plenty of NIL success. He signed a multi-year deal with digital banking platform Greenwood back in July. Since then he has aligned with brands like Celsius Drink, the Michael Strahan Brand, Actively Black and SoHoodie.

Hunter has a $1.7 million On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 3 in the college football NIL rankings.

White Sox return to NIL, add eight athletes to CHISOX Athlete roster

The Chicago White Sox have returned to NIL after launching its first marketing campaign with college athletes a year ago.

The Major League Baseball club announced Wednesday the signing of eight new college athletes to contracts as part of its CHISOX Athlete NIL program. The initiative was created “to help empower student-athletes, their voices and careers both on and off the field,” the White Sox wrote on Twitter.

Sticking to its roots, each athlete the White Sox signed has ties to the Windy City. The second wave of CHISOX Athletes includes:

As part of the deal, the athletes have branding opportunities with financial incentives for social media promotion. The organization plans on welcoming them to a game in a private suite. They’ll also have access to professional resources and career mentorship from the White Sox front office.

Other perks for the CHISOX Athletes include a professional photoshoot at Guaranteed Rate Field or nearby Chicagoland sports venue, a custom White Sox jersey, additional ChiSox Athlete-branded merchandise and special opportunities at the ballpark such as throwing out the first pitch.

Honorable Mention