Caleb Williams, AC+ION Water partner to raise money for youth

USC quarterback Caleb Williams continues to lead by example in what collegiate athletes can do in the ever-evolving NIL landscape.

Williams and AC+ION Water have partnered to raise money for his foundation, Caleb Cares. The cash will go to the charity’s three focuses: anti-bullying, youth empowerment and mental health awareness.

As part of the agreement, the ion-charged alkaline water brand will donate $50,000 to the foundation. And for every touchdown Williams scores, another $1,300 will be added, a play on the quarterback’s No. 13 jersey. The initiative will close when the total number of cash reaches $76,000.

Williams has an ambassador for AC+ION since early February. He even talked about the brand during his appearance on Good Morning America. Sources told On3 the water company’s donation to Caleb Cares was an idea formulated over the summer.

The former Oklahoma quarterback is now starring in a commercial for AC+ION, which was filmed this summer. The ad made its debut two weeks ago, appearing on Week 1’s “Thursday Night Football,” some select college football games and in California markets.

“AC+ION water has really become part of my daily routine, so I was thrilled when I got a chance to be part of this campaign,” Williams said in a statement. “I have never done something like this before which made it a lot of fun, especially since I got to film it with some of my teammates who are in one of the videos.”

The goal for Williams in his NIL activities has to always come up with unique, forward-thinking partnerships. He was the first student-athlete to sign with Beats By Dre and dish out headphones to his teammates. That’s now a trend we’ve seen across the country, most recently with Bryce Young at Alabama.

He’s been working closely with the marketing firm Smith & Company to shape his brand. He’s inked deals with Futuremood and Fanatics Authentic. Williams has also taken a part-owner roll with the brand Faculty.

None of it has hampered any on-field success. USC is currently 3-0 heading into this weekend’s trip to Oregon State. In the first three games of the season, the USC star has thrown for eight touchdowns and added two more on the ground.

Caleb Williams’ soaring NIL potential

USC quarterback Caleb Williams currently holds an On3 NIL evaluation of $2.4 million. He ranks No. 6 in the NIL 100 and No. 3 in the college football rankings, only trailing Bryce Young and CJ Stroud.

Williams has seen social media following continue to climb, too, now sitting at 173,000 followers. He holds a per-post value of $4,800.

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

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.