Oregon Ducks release licensed football trading card set made possible through NIL

The Oregon Ducks were the story of National Signing Day with a major influx of talent, including blue-chipper five-star defensive lineman Matayo Uiagalelei and the flips of four-star quarterback Austin Novosad from Baylor and four-star cornerback Daylen Austin from LSU.

Many, including rival coaches, say NIL opportunities in Eugene fueled the Ducks’ success. NIL deals like the one announced around Signing Day between Jacksons Food Stores and select members of 2022 Ducks’ football roster.

As part of the deal, Jacksons Food Stores is offering Oregon football trading cards that feature players on the team. The cards went on sale earlier this week in Eugene, and fans were able to start buying them in the Portland area on Wednesday.

The officially licensed, professionally designed, printed and packaged trading cards are sold exclusively at Jacksons’ 50 Oregon locations. The full set features cards from players on the team as well as Oregon’s Duck mascot. Each pack contains 14 cards and retails for $12.99.

NIL trading cards also feature autographs from Oregon stars

One out of every 10 packs will include limited-edition autographed cards, numbered one to 100, depicting Oregon Duck standouts Alex Forsyth, Terrance Ferguson, Bennett Williams, Troy Franklin, Bucky Irving, T.J. Bass, Christian Gonzalez, D.J. Johnson, Brandon Dorlus and Bo Nix.

“We’re proud to partner with University of Oregon football student-athletes to amplify their talent through this project,” president of Jacksons Food Stores Cory Jackson said in a news release. “We’re excited to extend this opportunity to more Pac-12 student-athletes and enhance Ducks fans’ experience.”

Oregon has been at the forefront of the NIL movement, especially with its powerful collective Division Street operating as one of the most ambitious and successful collectives. Furthermore, the deal by Jacksons is another example of the type of NIL opportunities that exist in Eugene.

Others have gone into the trading NIL trading card space

Oregon isn’t the first program to have officially licensed trading cards on sale because of NIL deals with Jacksons Food Stores.

Boise State grabbed headlines in early October when it claimed it was the first college football program with its entire team represented in a trading card set since the advent of NIL. At the time, the 10,000 card print run was the largest trading card venture for any school in the country.

Additionally, Leaf Trading Cards dove deep into the NIL space with budding stars of tomorrow, such as Tennessee five-star quarterback signee Nico Iamaleava and USC Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Caleb Williams.

Others like Johnson Creative, are also in the space with its NIL deal with Florida State star running back Trey Benson.