NIL Deals of the Week: Iowa Cubs host Caitlin Clark for meet and greet

It was another busy week of movement across the NIL landscape.

NCAA president Charlie Baker, SEC officials and multiple NIL collectives descended on Capitol Hill pushing for NIL reform. The IRS released a memo Friday, dated May 23, stating donations made to nonprofit NIL collectives are not tax exempt. The news could shake up the world of collectives.

And Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed House Bill 2804 into law Saturday, adding the Lone Star state as the latest to enact NIL reform on the local level aimed directly at bypassing oversight by the NCAA.

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.

Iowa Cubs host meet and greet with Caitlin Clark

Caitlin Clark‘s brand continues to grow.

Arguably the sport’s next big star, the minor league Iowa Cubs held a meet and greet with Clark last weekend, giving fans the chance to grab a picture or autograph. Fans also were able to purchase a bobblehead bundle for the game.

Video from the game showed a line stretching out the gate to get face time with Clark. The National Player of the Year finished 2022 averaging 27.8 points and 8.6 assists while shooting 47.3% from the field.

Clark signed with Nike in October as an obvious long-term play for the sportswear company. The brand launched name and number tees and sweatshirts for the Iowa guard before March Madness, signifying one of the first moves by Nike to monetize her NIL outside of social media posts.

The Iowa star has a $796,000 On3 NIL Valuation, too. The valuation ranks No. 3 in college basketball and No. 45 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 line to meet Caitlin Clark at the Iowa Cubs game 😳

(🎥 @scottreister) pic.twitter.com/LJTmbhcySp

— espnW (@espnW) June 4, 2023

J.T. Tuimoloau hosts football camp for Columbus youth

Ohio State patiently waited for J.T. Tuimoloau back in the 2021 cycle. The former five-star plus recruit held off on his commitment to the spring, eventually becoming one of the highest-ranked defensive commits in Buckeyes history.

He showed why Ohio State waited for his delayed commitment in his sophomore. The defensive lineman had six tackles, two sacks, two interceptions, a forced fumble, touchdown and fumble recovery against Penn State.

With the setting set for a major junior season, Tuimoloau has found success in NIL. He hosted a youth camp this past week through a partnership between the NIL collective Cohesion Foundation and the Boys & Girls Clubs of Central Ohio, KIPP Columbus and the Lindy Infante Foundation.

Ohio State teammates Jermaine Mathews and Bryson Rodgers joined Tuimoloau at the camp, which was open from grades 3 through 8. Breakfast and lunch were provided.

He has an On3 NIL Valuation of $808,000, which ranks in the top 30 of college football. The defensive lineman’s valuation is No. 41 the On3 NIL 100.

Armando Bacot signs NIL deal with Frosted Flakes

Armando Bacot decided in March to return for a fifth season. The North Carolina forward has become one of the most recognizable figures in college basketball, which has resulted in NIL dollars.

But the decision to return wasn’t only for financial benefit. Bacot averaged 15.9 points and 10.4 rebounds per game this season, though the Tar Heels underachieved. They were ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll, yet went 20-13 and missed the NCAA tournament.

This past week he announced a new NIL partnership with with Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes and its Mission Tiger program. He visited a Food Lion in Pittsboro, North Carolina, for four hours, where he visited with fans.

“It means a lot to give back to my community with Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes, especially the young athletes in Chapel Hill,” Bacot said in a statement. “I know there can be a lot of pressure on kids to make the varsity team or win the championship game, so I hope Tony the Tiger and I can help remind kids that the most important thing is to just go out there, do your best and have fun.”

Since the inception of NIL in 2021, the North Carolina star has inked agreements with Dunkin‘, MoneyLion, Rhoback and ZIPS Car Wash. His On3 NIL Valuation of $549,000 ranks No. 12 in college basketball.

Cristina Roque announces return, inks agreement with Rising Spear

Florida State‘s Cristina Roque was a College Soccer News second-team All-American in 2022, along with earning all-region and top 30 recognition by TopDawerSoccer. Named the ACC Goalkeeper of the Year and a first-team all-league pick, she had a career-high 60 saves while allowing just 15 goals for a 0.87 goals against average.

She has now signed an endorsement deal with the Florida State-driven collective Rising Spear. It’s not her first move in the NIL space. She inked a partnership with Advantage Goalkeeping in March, allowing her to design her own signature goalie glove. Player-focused goalie gloves are not new in the sport. But Roque’s partnership was original because it is the first created through a student-athlete using their NIL. Plus, the glove is unique because it is designed for female goalkeepers.

When the Seminoles won the national championship in 2021, Roque was named to the College Cup All-Tournament Team. She was the College Cup’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player. Roque is also a member of the Puerto Rican National Team.

Honorable Mention

• Texas baseball players Porter Brown, Garret Guillemette, Lebarron Johnson Jr., Kobe Minchey and Lucas Gordon have signed NIL agreements with the Texas One Fund to promote a dollar-for-dollar matching campaign with the collective.
• Nebraska EDGE Chief Borders has signed a deal with Hail Varsity Kids magazine to promote the publication throughout the state of Nebraska and beyond. Borders was a key offseason transfer addition from Florida.
• Oklahoma State All-America defensive back Kendal Daniels agreed to a NIL deal with OKstateNFT through his partnership with Pokes with a Purpose. OKstateNFT features digital collectibles featuring OSU athletes and Cowboy legends.
• Florida EDGE Justus Boone is using his publicity rights to host the Just-Us Youth Football Camp on June 25 at Dillion Park in Sumter, South Carolina. Campers are required to pay $15 to attend. Boone has emerged as one of the leaders of the Gators’ defense.
• The Penn State collective Success with Honor partnered a number of Nittany Lion football players – including linebackers Ta’Mere Robinson and Tony Rojas and offensive lineman Golden Israel-Achumba – with The State College Food Bank. As part of the deal, the players helped break ground on a new facility for the local charity.
• Michigan forward Tarris Reed Jr. signed an NIL deal with Randy Wise Automotive. Reed is the first U-M basketball player to promote Randy Wise, but he joins a long list of Wolverine football players to do so. Some of the other top names to sign with the dealer include linebacker Junior Colson, quarterback J.J. McCarthy and wide receiver Darrius Clemons.