Virginia Tech's Derrick Canteen, Triumph NIL start real estate podcast

Virginia Tech cornerback Derrick Canteen said before he transferred from Georgia Southern in the offseason, he didn’t know much about the role of collectives and sports marketing agencies in the NIL landscape.

However, one of the first conversations he had with representatives of Triumph NIL wasn’t about football, which he said stood out to him and his family.

“It honestly was part of what drew me to Virginia Tech,” Canteen said. “I’m not going to lie. They were interested in more than just football. They really took their time to see the things that we had in mind and the things that we had an interest in outside of football. It also gave me the opportunity to sit down and think about these things.”

It set in motion the launch of the Derrick Canteen Podcast, which he hosts through the agency. He uses the platform to discuss real estate.

“They asked us what we want to do after football or alongside football,” Canteen said. “So everything’s not just football and that’s when I told them about investing in real estate.”

On the latest episode, Canteen was joined by Philip Beaver, an agent for Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Mountain Sky Properties.

In February, Triumph NIL announced it signed 13 football players, including Canteen. Canteen was named a third-team All-Sun Belt selection in 2022 after he started 10 games and recorded 64 tackles and 12 pass breakups.

Triumph NIL CEO: ‘They are blooming’

As Triumph NIL partners develop a relationship with a Virginia Tech athlete, the agency’s partners provide an athlete with a questionnaire to better understand the athlete’s interests outside of sports.

It’s a process that led to women’s basketball center and two-time ACC Player of the Year Liz Kitley and men’s basketball guard Sean Pedulla each co-hosting cooking classes at a local business.

“A lot of these men and women have taken it and run with it,” said Triumph NIL CEO Kelly Woolwine. “They’re having fun. They are blooming, whether it’s podcast, video content. It’s awesome. It’s been very encouraging to see how – everything but sports – they’re finding themselves. They’re putting it out there.”

Mitch Gerber, who hosts Triumph NIL’s Triumph+ Podcast, said while the agency’s questionnaire serves as an introduction, the agency’s partners work to build relationships with athletes on a day-to-day basis, too.

“I think it’s developing a relationship with these guys at practice or around the facility, no matter what sport it is,” Gerber said. “And simply just having the conversations with them about everyday life stuff. So you find out that somebody like Canteen is interested in real estate and investing. And you start to poke at questions of ‘What does that mean not only for right now but the bigger picture of 40-plus years?'”

When Canteen described his interest in real estate and hosting his own podcast, he mentioned his goal of creating generational wealth. He said he aspires to play in the NFL someday, but he has heard stories of others’ financial pitfalls, like not understanding investments or misplacing trust in advisors.

“I’ve always wanted to know what to do with money before I get it,” he said.

Canteen’s father, who is also named Derrick, works in logistics and the cornerback highlighted friends with business acumen.

“I feel like if I learn my part and do things on this end, we can come together and make businesses together,” Canteen said. “And that way, it can be like a family and generational revenue that comes out of this.”

Role reversal as interview subject becomes interviewer

Being a podcast host signifies a role reversal for the redshirt senior, who is accustomed to being an interview subject as a football player rather than an interviewer.

“You’re getting interviewed,” Canteen said. “People [are] asking you questions and you answer the questions because they’re invested in you. So now I’m seeing things in a different perspective. I’m inviting guests.”

He said he has a newfound awareness of the production quality that goes into interviews as it relates to the audio and lighting.

“My first year of college football, NIL wasn’t even a thing so the money never really was the goal,” Canteen said. “By playing college football, understanding that one, football isn’t forever. And two, while I am playing football and while I am in the spotlight, I want to do everything I can to maximize my opportunities because people are interested in athletes.”

Gerber said the goal for many college athletes is to play professionally. NIL opportunities can now help create additional pathways.

“I’m thinking long term,” Canteen said. “I feel like the things I do right now will benefit me well after I’m done playing college football or football in general because it’s the relationships. The networking. It’s the people you meet.”