Buckeyes women's basketball team strikes first teamwide NIL deal at Ohio State

The Ohio State women’s basketball team is ranked in the top 10 after making its first Elite Eight appearance in 30 years last season. The Buckeyes return 10 players from last season’s squad, 72% of last season’s scoring and feature stars like Jacy Sheldon, Cotie McMahon and Rikki Harris.

There’s a sense of excitement around Buckeyes’ basketball that’s not been seen in quite some time. So, it only makes sense that a local brand wants to attach itself to the excitement through an NIL deal.

Elk + Elk, an Ohio personal injury law firm, announced it had secured a season-long NIL agreement with the entire Ohio State women’s basketball team.

The company said in its announcement that the NIL deal was the first of its kind for any Buckeyes’ athletic program.

“Our partnership with the Ohio State women’s basketball team is designed to emphasize the importance of every team member and how each player’s uniqueness makes the team successful,” Elk + Elk said in a statement. “The partnership includes in-arena content, social media campaigns, and a courtside interview segment, ‘Full Court Press,’ highlighting each team member.”

Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff said the deal is “going to be a very impactful partnership for our program.”

“This is a great opportunity for our team,” he said.

Elk + Elk managing partner Jay Kelly believes his company will benefit from the NIL deal because the Buckeyes have shown how working as a team produces “incredible results.”

“This resonates perfectly with our internal philosophy regarding every member of our team playing a pivotal role in every legal matter,” Kelly said. “‘Every Client. Every Day.’ mandates acknowledging every player.”

Ohio State stars active in NIL

This isn’t the first time Ohio State’s women’s basketball stars have engaged in impactful NIL deals.

Heading into the season, Cotie McMahon was picked as a preseason AP All-American honorable mention and named to the watch list for the Cheryl Miller Award. She was the 2023 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and earned second-team all-conference honors after averaging 15.1 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.6 steals.

Even though he’s just a sophomore, McMahon has already amassed more than 19,000 followers on social media. She’s engaged in a number of NIL deals, including with Berry Blendz, Moolah Kicks and The 1870 Society, an Ohio State NIL collective. She also revealed this week a new partnership with Be Present Ohio that focuses on spreading mental health awareness.

Jacy Sheldon missed 23 games with an injury last season before returning for the Buckeyes’ NCAA tournament run. She was an AP honorable mention All-American and first-team all-league pick in 2022. Sheldon also ranks in the top 20 in eight different Ohio State career records.

She has also built a strong NIL brand with more than 23,000 followers. She’s executed a number of NIL deals, including with Express, AlphaSuit Clothier, Brazil Sports Tours and Wings Over.

Celeste Taylor is another Buckeye player with an impressive following that could benefit from the new NIL agreement. Taylor, who transferred from Duke this offseason, was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year and scored more than 1,000 points last season for the Blue Devils. She, too, has a large social brand with more than 34,000 followers. Taylor has NIL deals with Little Words Project and Bumble on her resume.