Shelton Sampson Jr. signs deal with MatchPoint Connection, discusses plans for NIL brand

Less than two weeks ago, Shelton Sampson Jr. was getting ready to announce his college commitment.

The five-star wide receiver had trimmed his list down to LSU, Texas A&M, Alabama and Florida State. A top-10 wide receiver in the class of 2023, his options were endless. But as the No. 3 overall recruit in the state of Louisiana, leaving Baton Rouge for college didn’t add up.

So he announced his verbal commitment to LSU. With his family just minutes away from the university, his parents can be at nearly every college football game he plays. The support system he’s built at Catholic High School will keep tabs on him, too.

And he has confidence in where Brian Kelly is taking Tigers football.

“Everything about Brian Kelly and the staff was just authentic,” Sampson told On3. “None of the relationships are fake. I know when I get there, it’s all going to be same as it is now.”

For all the time he’s spent focused on his college decision, he’s now setting the framework for his brand and future NIL opportunities. Sampson has signed on with MatchPoint Connection, which uses a unique algorithm to quickly “match” talent to brands for paid promotions. The five-star receiver will be the official high school ambassador for the Baton Rouge-based NIL company.

The company will provide agreement contracting, compliance and brand marketing support for the rising senior. MatchPoint provided oversight in his first NIL deal — a merchandise partnership with Elete Sports. And Sampson will rely on the company to identify and broker his future deals.

“It’s a great fit to name Shelton as the beginning face of what we’re working towards in that space, and then to be able to continue to evolve from there,” MatchPoint Connection CFO Zack Oliver told On3. “The main goal is showing that he’s a responsible enough individual to go out there and become a partner of a business as a high schooler.”

Becoming the face of high school NIL in Louisiana

Louisiana high school student-athletes are able to profit off their NIL, similar to how college athletes are able to, after a vote by the Louisiana High School Athletic Association in early April. States such as Florida, Texas and Georgia have prohibited student-athletes from participating in NIL.

Sampson is arguably the most high-profile Louisiana high school player to enter the NIL space. But with the help of MatchPoint and the backing of his family, there’s also no rush to sign a load of contracts.

He may sign somewhere between three to five deals before he enrolls in college. Discovering what he wants to achieve takes precedence, followed by making sure he delivers a return on investment.

“I feel like if we build our brand the right way, then we should be able to benefit off that,” Sampson said when asked if high schoolers should be allowed to utilize their NIL.

That’s also a priority for MatchPoint. Oliver is a Catholic graduate, just like Sampson will be. A former quarterback at Northwestern, one of the reasons why he helped start the company was to give future athletes access to these types of opportunities.

He’s also lived the college experience. Never mind trying to execute NIL agreements at the high school level. Oliver does not doubt that Sampson is ready. But the other goal of this partnership is to make sure the freak athlete can feel like a high school kid.

“I definitely see the massive value that it provides you,” he said. “It almost acts like a hedge to your performance on field to say ‘OK, I have this following, I have this influence. I can monetize that to some extent.’ But then you have to obviously weigh your pros and cons with how much time it takes to execute a deal.”

Sampson’s high school, Catholic, is also on board with his NIL activity. His athletic director, Ben DiPalma, has helped the family navigate NIL, specifically what is and isn’t legal in the state of Louisiana.

“I’m just really, really excited for the opportunity that he’s gonna have to hopefully be the face of this,” DiPalma said. “What we have to remember is he’s still a kid. So it comes to us, as the adults around him, to make sure that we really do our homework and make sure that he’s making the decisions that are best for him in the long run.”

Building a brand

MatchPoint is well established in the LSU community. The company has worked with Derek Stingley Jr., Leonard Fournette and Myles Brennan. Sampson can now be added to that list. But the 18th commitment in the Tigers’ 2023 recruiting class wants to make sure he sets a standard high schoolers can look up to.

“No high school athlete has really done it big so far. So being one of the first to do it is — I want to set the standard,” the five-star receiver told On3.

Sampson said he wants people to know that his brand is and will be authentic. That’s not to say he knows where it will be in five years, when he’s hopefully playing in the NFL. Participating in community service and donating money to charities through his NIL deals will be a central theme of his brand, though.

The first year of NIL has been dominated by recruiting wars and pay-to-play incentives. Sampson stayed out of that, cashing in on the LHSAA’s NIL guidance. His team also wants to make sure cash is not the only payment option. They hope to see the wideout be paid in property or stock options.

“That (NIL) was never the dominating factor,” Sampson said. “My decision was focused on just me and what was best for my family. And just really football.”

Focus remains on LSU, football

For all the potential Sampson Jr. commands in NIL, his real talents sit on the football field. It’s why he had offers from nearly every top 25 team. And it’s why he even has the opportunity to cash in on NIL — he has an On3 NIL Valuation of $254K, which ranks No. 26 in On3’s high school NIL rankings.

The 6-foot-3, 190-pound receiver led Catholic to a state title last season, all while dealing with a torn ligament in his finger. There was never much question on whether or not he would play in the playoffs. This will be his final season of high school football this fall. Sampson told On3 he plans to enroll at LSU next June, giving him a full year to prepare for college.

And while playing close to home was a priority, he has an opportunity to become next one of the next great wide receivers to come out of LSU. Throughout his childhood, he’s seen LSU churn out Justin Jefferson, Odell Beckham Jr., Ja’Marr Chase and Jarvis Landry.

Joining that list is the main priority for Shelton Sampson Jr.