UConn's Adama Sanogo partners with Sunoco in NIL deal

Despite all his on-court success in the last month, Adama Sanogo has not been able to reap the benefits of his NIL.

The UConn forward was born in Mali, and the standard F-1 visa places limits on the types of income those visa holders can earn. It’s why such a few number of international athletes have truly been able to monetize their publicity rights.

It appears Sanogo has signed his first partnership, though. In a fitting move, the UConn player has signed with the gas station company Sunoco, which sounds similar to his name. It’s a joke the brand has played up in a series of videos released on its Instagram recently.

Now he is taking part in a signed jersey collaboration with Sunoco. In the same colors as the gas station’s brand, the jersey features the company’s logo with Sanogo’s name and number on the back. To enter the contest, fans can like his post, tag a friend and follow the gas station on Instagram. The winners will be picked on April 13.

In the video advertisement shot for the endorsement deal, it appears the UConn forward is in a tropical location. If he executed the agreement in international waters, he would be able to profit from the partnership.

“What a crazy ride,” he said in an advertisement released on Instagram. “I’m teaming up with my No. 1 super fan Sunoco to do a signed jersey collab. So to my biggest fan and everyone who cheered for me, thank you. I have a feeling people are going to know my name now.”

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U.S. Senators Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, both from Connecticut, sent a letter to U.S. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas during March Madness asking for DHS to provide guidance and updated regulations to allow international athletes to exercise their NIL rights.

The Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player, Sanogo finished the season averaging 17.2 points and 7.7 rebounds. He also shot 60.3% from the field, which ranked in the top 25 in the country. In UConn’s tournament run, the forward averaged 19.6 points per game. Rumors have circulated in the last few weeks Sanogo could entertain entering the transfer portal.

Adama Sanogo’s On3 NIL Valuation

While Sanogo was arguably the most valuable during the NCAA tournament, he still has built a notable profile thanks to UConn’s national title. The forward has a $776,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the No. 7 of college basketball.

It also sits at No. 46 in the On3 NIL 100.

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. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.