Roman Wilson's Crocs NIL deal more impactful after clutch Rose Bowl performance

Talk about perfect NIL timing. Just ahead of helping the Wolverines secure a spot in the national championship game, Michigan star receiver Roman Wilson announced a new NIL deal with Crocs and Dicks Sporting Goods.

The NIL partnership makes sense on so many levels.

From a timing standpoint, college football fans are searching to learn more about Wilson after his performance in the College Football Playoff semifinal victory over Alabama.

Wilson made a huge difference late in the Rose Bowl when he reeled in a 29-yard pass from JJ McCarthy to set up the Wolverines with first-and-goal at the five. He would score a couple of plays later to tie the game and the rest was history.

Wilson also calls Crocs his favorite shoes.

“Anyone that knows me knows there’s not a day that goes by where I’m not wearing my Crocs,” Wilson said in a social media post announcing the NIL deal. “To and from class, practice and on away trips or putting them in sport mode when taking Crocs out for walks… that’s why I’m so hyped to partner with Crocs and Dicks Sporting Goods.”

Smart timing of NIL deal

This isn’t the first NIL deal for Wilson. He’s partnered with Accelerator Active Energy, Drip House Coffee Company, CeraVe Skincare, Next Gen Camps, eFuse, Activision and Michigan-focused Champions Circle in the past. Yet, this is his first significant national NIL agreement with a brand that’s a household name.

While he shared news of the deal a couple of days ahead of the Rose Bowl, NIL experts loved the timing of the announcement.

“Talk about striking while the iron is hot,” an NIL agent told On3. “Such a smart marketing move by Roman and Crocs. The deal ahead of the CFP was smart, but now it’s even better because he did so well in the game.”

The deal was coordinated by Postgame and Wilson’s agency, Athletes+ Management.

“Two years of outreach, conversations and follow-ups, we finally got Roman Wilson a partnership with his favorite brand,” Athletes+ Management said in a statement.

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Roman Wilson has strong NIL brand

Roman Wilson has an On3 NIL Valuation of $479,000, which ranks No. 104 in college football. However, don’t be surprised if he sees a significant bump when On3 NIL Valuation figures are updated again on Wednesday. His performance on the big stage – and 151,000 followers on social media followers – surely will boost his valuation.

The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.

About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value

While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.

Teammates knew Roman Wilson would come through

Michigan standout running back Blake Corum had confidence that Roman Wilson was going to make a big play at the end of the game.

“Roman previously had a mistake, and he said, I promise, I’m going to make a play,” Corum said. “That’s what Roman did. We all had faith in him. We all believed in him. He was just playing hard, and things happen.”

Wilson finished the game with four catches for 73 yards and a touchdown. Corum finished it off in overtime with two runs to the end zone to give Michigan the Rose Bowl victory.