Kentucky signs team NIL deal, Toppin and Livingston earn individual campaigns

Kentucky is being rewarded for its late-season turnaround both individually and as a team. No, not just in player accolades or quality wins, but off the court, as well.

Just hours after returning home from Gainesville with yet another Quad 1 victory added to the resume, head coach John Calipari announced a new set of NIL deals for his team and select players.

The entire roster has reached an agreement with a national advertiser, while Jacob Toppin and Chris Livingston — two key players during the Wildcats’ current win streak — have signed their own nationwide campaigns.

“Our entire team just signed an NIL deal with a national advertiser and Jacob and Chris also each just signed their own NIL deals for nationwide campaigns,” Calipari said. “That is the Kentucky Effect!!”

Our entire team just signed an NIL deal with a national advertiser and Jacob and Chris also each just signed their own NIL deals for nation-wide campaigns.

That is the Kentucky Effect!! pic.twitter.com/SBZBuDyz5R

— John Calipari (@UKCoachCalipari) February 23, 2023

What are those deals specifically? KSR has learned that the team agreement is with Morgan & Morgan, America’s largest injury firm and longtime NIL partner of UK Athletics. Last season, Morgan & Morgan opened the year with a digital billboard campaign in Times Square in New York City leading up to the Champions Classic, followed by permanent billboards going up around Kentucky throughout the season.

“We could not be more excited to partner with these incredible college basketball players,” Morgan & Morgan founder John Morgan said at the time of the original agreement. “This NCAA rule change has long been overdue and we’re thrilled to support these amazing athletes and unveil a new billboard featuring some of the best players in all of college basketball.”

Now, that partnership is back leading up to postseason play.

Elsewhere, Chris Livingston’s partnership is with Beats by Dre, one of the nation’s leading headphone and speaker companies. As for Jacob Toppin, he has reached an agreement with AT&T for a new campaign, as well.

The standout forwards are coming off double-double performances at Florida, with Toppin going for 19 points and 11 rebounds and Livingston putting up 10 points and 15 rebounds, including the game-clinching and-one putback bucket in the final minute. The latter, recently named SEC Freshman of the Week, has hit the double-digit scoring mark in four of Kentucky’s last five games to go with 7.6 rebounds per contest in that same stretch.

On-court growth rewarded with wins and NIL deals. That’s the Kentucky Effect.