4-star Florida State LB commit Blake Nichelson part of new NIL platform launch
Florida State linebacker commit Blake Nichelson isn’t expected to enroll in Tallahassee until sometime next summer, but Seminole faithful already have an opportunity to support him and show their fandom through a brand-new NIL platform.
Prospex, a new company that launched this week, has teamed up with a limited number of high-profile prospects to provide custom trading cards that will create revenue opportunities for those players.
Nichelson, a four-star linebacker from California, is one of just over 20 athletes participating in the initial release; other players include On3 Consensus five-star prospects Matayo Uiagalelei and Jurrion Dickey.
“Prospex has the potential to totally transform the way NIL works for college athletes — allowing everyday fans to show direct support to the athletes considering their school,” Prospex co-founder Patricia Eiting told On3, which is a media partner of the new venture. “Most importantly, it offers athletes an open, transparent way to assess and capture their true NIL value at the schools they are considering.”
For prospects who are early in the recruiting process, they will be able to list as many as 10 schools they are considering on their individual marketplace pages. Fans of each school then will be able to buy digital playing cards that will feature their respective university’s team colors.
When a player commits and enrolls at that school, fans who bought the card will receive a physical or web3 collectible version of the card. The fans of other schools can turn their cards back in and get a refund of 90 percent of their money.
For Nichelson, even though he is considered a strong commitment to Florida State, there are four cards available: FSU, UCLA, Oregon and Southern Cal. Nichelson is rated the No. 13 prospect in California and the No. 18 linebacker in the country, according to the On3 Consensus rankings.
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According to the company, 85 percent of the revenue from card sales will go directly to the athletes.
SPARQ Games will design the web3 collectables, which will have unique 3D motion graphics of the athletes.
“From our insights work, we can tell you that lots and lots of fans want to participate in NIL, believe in NIL but aren’t necessarily the high-profile donors and big boosters that the collectives are really designed to work with,” Eiting said. “We think this gives them a way to step up and help support their teams.”
After this limited run of only football prospects in the 2023 class, Prospex plans to offer cards for football, men’s and women’s basketball in 2024. Other sports also will soon be available.
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