NIL Deals of the Week: Nike makes splash, Quinn Ewers on roll

While it may be the middle of college football season, a NIL rollout in basketball was the major headline this week.

Nike announced its biggest NIL roster additions to date, signing five athletes from the high school and college ranks. None bigger than Bronny James, the son of NBA star LeBron James. It goes to show the clout a brand can have in the space even if it has not signed the most deals to date.

And it’s worth mentioning Quinn Ewers had one of the best weeks a college football player has had in recent memory. The Texas quarterback signed three NIL deals in eight days and knocked off his chief rival at the Cotton Bowl.

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.

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Nike signs five athletes to NIL roster

For much of the last 16 months, Nike has taken a backseat approach to the NIL game. While major brands such adidas, Crocs and Champs Sports, the sneaker giant pieced together one-off deals with Stanford women’s golfer Rachel Heck and UCLA soccer player Reilyn Turner.

All of that changed this week. Nike made its game-changing announcement Monday, signing Bronny James, Caitlin Clark, Haley Jones, DJ Wagner and Judea Watkins.

For starters, inking LeBron James’ son does not come as a surprise. The NBA star has been with Nike since the early days of his career. But with Bronny still yet to make a decision where he’ll play his basketball next year, it’s hard to imagine him not playing at a Nike school. As part of his agreement with Nike, he will continue to promote and positively impact communities with the LeBron James Family Foundation. He has an On3 NIL Valuation of $7.3 million, which sits atop the NIL 100 rankings.

Similar to Bronny, DJ Wagner is the top-ranked prospect in the 2023 class. The five-star recruit has yet to make his commitment. Before the Nike announcement, the two schools left in the race were Kentucky and Louisville. Nike vs. adidas. He’s previously done work with Phil Knight’s company, signing with Drake’s Nike sub-label NOCTA back in July.

Nike also signed three women to deals, including two of women’s basketball’s top stars. Jones helped Stanford secure a national title this in 2021 and was named the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player. The senior averaged 13.2 points and 7.9 rebounds per games last season. And Clark was a consensus first-team All-American at Iowa last year, also winning Big Ten Player of the Year.

A senior at Sierra Canyon High School Los Angeles with Bronny James, Judea Watkins was part of the five-athlete partnership. The reigning California Gatorade Player of the Year has yet to make a college decision.

“I grew up watching Nike athletes across all sports play their game,” Clark said in a statement. “They have inspired me to work hard and make a difference. I’m humbled to be part of this first Nike basketball class and passionate about inspiring the next.”

Monday’s announcement could be the start of Nike ramping up aggression. There’s plenty of opportunity across college athletics.

Quinn Ewers announces three deals in eight days

When Quinn Ewers decided to leave high school a year early for Ohio State, the five-star quarterback drew criticism. The state of Texas did not allow high schoolers to turn a profit on their Name, Image and Likeness. Once enrolled in Columbus, Ewers inked an agreement with GT Sports Marketing worth $1.4 million.

And then he transferred to Texas after only playing in one game for the Buckeyes. Some of the buzz around Ewers seemed to have fizzled out.

Psyche.

The quarterback made his return this past weekend after leaving the Alabama game with an injury. Ewers tore apart Oklahoma’s reeling defense, delivering a 49-0 win in the Red River Rivalry and finishing with four touchdowns while completing 67% of his passes for 289 yards.

He also had a busy few days in the NIL space. Over the course of eight days, he announced five partnerships. First was a seven-figure NFT deal with Metabillia. Then he inked a partnership with Lucchese Bootmaker, gifting travel bags to his offensive line. And on Monday was a Sonic social media ad with his wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

Now toting a $1.2 million On3 NIL Valuation, Ewers has Texas positioned for a late-season run. And all this could just be setting the table for a major 2023 campaign.

SAXX Underwear signs South Carolina football team

SAXX Underwear announced this week it had signed a six-figure, team-wide NIL deal with the South Carolina football team. The partnership will help raise awareness and funds for testicular cancer.

It also adds to the growing list of unique deals developed in the NIL space. South Carolina cornerback Cam Smith, EDGE Jordan Burch, wide receiver D.K. Joyner, running back MarShawn Lloyd, tight end Jaheim Bell, tight end Austin Stogner and defensive lineman Zacch Pickens will be the lead brand ambassadors. Athletes will be expected to share content on social media, make appearances and attend an on-campus event in November.

Gamecock players donated $5,000 to the Testicular Cancer Foundation. And SAXX has committed to donating an additional $1,000 for every time South Carolina sacks an opposing quarterback this season, up to $10,000.

The deal also marks one of the first times South Carolina is really tapping into its Park Ave agency, a subsidiary of Everett Sports Marketing (ESM) created through South Carolina’s two-year, $2.2-million agreement with ESM.

Brands continue to enter the space, signing athletes to notable campaigns. But the role of agencies and collectives in brokering the deals continues to play a large part in deals, such as South Carolina’s with SAXX Underwear.

Reese’s makes splash, signing 12 football players

Add another name to a brand that announced its first campaign in fall 2022.

Reese’s has announced it has signed NIL deals with 12 college football players. And they all share one thing in common: Each have the name Reese in their name.

The list of athletes includes:

• Delaware State defensive back Andrew Reese
• Tulsa defensive lineman Brody Reese
• Troy defensive end Cameron Reese
• UNLV running back Courtney Reese
• Florida linebacker David Reese
• Tennessee State defensive back James Reese IV
• Auburn safety John Reese Bellew
• Ole Miss safety Otis Reese
• Eastern Michigan tight end Max Reese
• Duke defensive end Michael Reese
• Liberty safety Quinton Reese
• Baylor running back Richard Reese

As part of the activation, athletes posted on social media. The athletes also received Reese’s chocolate and peanut butter footballs and cups for the season, along with “drip-worthy gear for simply having the best last name in the game.”

The gear includes a Reese’s Reese Chain, an ambassadors only gold chain and a pendant. Players involved in the deal will also receive a custom-tailored blaze orange Team Reese travel blazer, a pair of custom “cup-links” and a mini fridge shaped like a locker to “keep Reese’s footballs at the perfect temperature.”

Pepsi harnesses NIL to support recycling awareness

Pepsi continues to ramp up its NIL activity, this time using its platform to support plastic bottle recycling. The partnerships were done in association with its #PepsiTrashTalk campaign on TikTok.

And the athletes the company brought on had fun executing the deal. Kansas quarterback Jalon Daniels used a ping pong paddle to knock a bottle into the air, catch it and then fire it into the recycling bin. Colorado cornerback Jason Oliver mimiced a defensive back drill by back-pedaling, catching a bottle and then racing to place it into a container.

Vanderbilt’s Errington Truesdell, Texas A&M’s Deuce Harmon, San Diego State’s Caden McDonald, Baylor’s Jaylen Ellis, Oregon State’s Alex Austin, Michigan State’s Jayden Reed, Syracuse’s Courtney Jackson and Florida’s Donovan McMillion were all involved in the deal.

The terms of the deals weren’t made public, but a NIL agent told On3 some of the deals are believed to be in the $1,500 range.

Honorable Mention

• Alabama EDGE Will Anderson Jr. announced he has signed an NIL deal with the wellness and personal care brand Dr Teal’s. Halfway through the regular season, Anderson has recorded 29 total tackles, including 10 tackles for loss and five sacks.
• The fast-casual salad shop sweetgreen entered the NIL space. TCU’s Micah Peavy, Madi Cole and and Jill Johnson all posted on Instagram to promote the publicly-traded company’s new Fort Worth location.
• Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson signed with Fanatics, IP attorney Darren Heitner confirmed to On3. Heitner represents Richardson in sponsorship, endorsement and marketing agreements. As part of the deal, Richardson is signing jerseys, posters and footballs. The quarterback’s jersey is also available on Fanatics, but currently out of stock.
• Mikaylah Williams – the top-ranked recruit in the Class of 2023 and an LSU women’s basketball commitment – signed an endorsement deal with Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys. She joins a laundry list of LSU football players who have signed with the attorney.

On3’s Andy Wittry and Jeremy Crabtree contributed to this story