Houston's Terrance Arceneaux inks trading card deal with Panini America

Despite sitting on the sidelines for the remainder of the season, Terrance Arceneaux is still leveraging his NIL.

The Houston sophomore suffered a torn right achilles injury in December during a Cougars’ win over Texas A&M. The former four-star recruit was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team last year and was poised to make an impact with Houston making the jump to the Big 12.

Now rehabbing from injury, the 6-foot-6 Arceneaux has inked a multi-year NIL deal with Panini America. Through the agreement, he will be included in autographed trading cards and marketing. His first trading card will be featured in Panini’s upcoming collegiate products.

“It’s definitely a dream come true for me to know all my hard work is paying off and to know a brand like Panini believes in me,” he told On3. “I can’t wait to get back out there and start playing again and represent them the best way possible.”

A top-50 prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, Arceneaux was averaging 5.5 points and 4.5 rebounds a game before he suffered the season-ending injury, playing a key role for Houston. The Cougars are currently ranked No. 2 in the latest AP top 25, coming off a 82-61 win over Texas. They host No. 6 Iowa State on Monday night.

The deal was facilitated by the Houston-driven NIL collective LinkingCoogs, which is part of the LinkU network. While the partnership was being worked on prior to Arceneaux’s injury, Panini still moved forward with the agreement.

The Houston guard is the latest to join a growing list of Panini athletes, which includes Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola, Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and Texas quarterback Arch Manning. The trading card company also has deals with Quinn Ewers and 2024 Five-Star Plus+ shooting guard Tre Johnson.

Viewed as one of the top returning players in college basketball this season, Terrance Arceneaux turned down the NBA draft to play another year at Houston. His length and instincts on defense make him an attractive prospect.

He is now locked in to a multi-year, exclusive deal with Panini America.

“We have been following Terrance for a few years,” said Tone Stakes, Panini’s head of basketball licensing. “We are thrilled to partner with Terrance on his basketball journey; we know Terrance will be back out there soon, playing again at an elite level. We are excited to offer his signed trading cards to our global collectors.”