An Inside Look at Morgan & Morgan's Partnership with Kentucky Commit Jasper Johnson's Announcement Ceremony

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Jasper Johnson‘s commitment ceremony was filled with NIL deals from different companies like Donatos Pizza and Paul Miller Motor Company. However, none were more prominent than Morgan & Morgan.

The Florida-based law firm has a long-standing relationship with Kentucky, dating back to the start of NIL in college athletics. However, this was a unique deal, largely due to the relationship between Jasper’s father, Dennis Johnson, and Jonathan Rabinowitz, managing partner of Morgan & Morgan’s Lexington office.

“Even before Jasper was a future top-10 pick in the NBA – when he was in sixth or seventh grade – Jon knew who he was and was keeping his eyes on him,” Dan Morgan, a partner at Morgan & Morgan who leads the firm’s NIL efforts, told KSR+.

Johnson saw the Kentucky basketball billboards plastered around Lexington and told Rabinowitz that he wanted to be on those billboards one day. As the commitment process came together and the firm found out he was choosing Kentucky, Johnson’s agent Nate Conley worked with the firm to secure NIL a prominent place during his announcement at Woodford County High School.

“We put a few deals together in order for us to be part of the day with him,” Morgan said. “It was great to be a part of it.”

A ‘Bittersweet’ Change at the Kentucky Coaching Helm

Morgan & Morgan’s relationship with Kentucky basketball started when John Calipari was head coach of UK. His departure for Arkansas hasn’t changed things significantly, but it was “bittersweet” for the firm.

“In the long run, I think Coach Cal is going to a great situation in Arkansas and Kentucky is definitely on good footing with Coach [Mark] Pope with the recruits they’re bringing in,” Morgan said. “I don’t think too much will change as far as it goes with the relationships between Morgan & Morgan and Kentucky.”

The firm already has current deals with Kentucky quarterback Brock Vandagriff and defensive lineman Deone Walker, among other players. They’re also planning to do both men’s and women’s basketball marketing.

“We want Travis Perry to be a focal point with the Kentucky roots,” Morgan said. “Like Jasper has his Kentucky roots, we really want to highlight those players. We’re diving more into Kentucky.”

Morgan & Morgan’s increased focus on Kentucky includes signage at Kroger Field with the endzone tunnels branded with the Morgan & Morgan logo. They’ve also sponsored the KHSAA Kentucky state playoffs in basketball, volleyball, and other sports.

Jasper Johnson’s Commitment Was Unique

Morgan & Morgan is used to making NIL deals with college and professional athletes. Sponsoring college commitments isn’t something they’re looking to dive deeply into. Jasper Johnson was an exception.

“We’ve been looking to be more in the moment and more in the news,” Dan Morgan said. “When Nate [Conley] brought this idea to us, we wanted to make sure we had that step-and-repeat behind him. Our creative team saw how kids always have the jersey of where they’re going. What if instead of the jersey it was a Morgan & Morgan t-shirt and then he pulled the jersey out? ”

Dan Morgan sees Johnson as “a pioneer” as NIL continues to be more prominent in high school and college athletics. He still expects the firm to wait until players are in college before making NIL deals.

However, the firm does want to continue working with Jasper Johnson. That starts when he makes it to Kentucky next fall.

“The kid is a star, so we definitely want to keep him around,” Morgan said. “Hopefully, his budget stays Morgan & Morgan friendly going forward.”

Johnson isn’t the only star talent to come out of Kentucky recently. Morgan & Morgan is noticing the influx of top talent from Reed Sheppard to Travis Perry.

“It’s pretty remarkable to see the talent coming out of Kentucky, basketball-wise year after year,” Morgan said. “It definitely helps when you associate with a player like Jasper, who’s from Woodford County and was born and raised right there. He’s been there his whole life and has family connections to the school. His family is full of Kentucky people. To have that person go out there and represent your brand in Kentucky just gives it more authenticity. That dives into what we’re trying to do, which is to establish roots in the community with people from the community.”

Future Challenges and Opportunities in Kentucky NIL

Morgan & Morgan is paying close attention to all that’s going on with the NCAA and court settlements. Dan Morgan referred to a certain court settlement that’s being held up regarding restrictions on NIL capabilities.

“It pretty much said that boosters have to use the money for business purposes,” Morgan said. “Clearly, at Morgan & Morgan, we’re using all of our money for business purposes, so that’s not going to affect us at all. What’s going to be interesting to see as they put some sort of salary cap in and how they manage the situation moving forward is that I hope it brings more organization to it. Right now, it’s still the wild, wild west. There are no real rules or regulations. I’m hoping that once this decision comes out, the NCAA will clean up and make rules. That will definitely make it a lot more streamlined.”

The difficulty with these NIL deals for Morgan & Morgan continues to be the same. Prices keep going up.

“When we first got into it, we were having deals with kids for a few thousand bucks here and there,” Morgan said. “We’re still able to get some of those done, but a lot of them have been deal-prohibited when you go and ask the star player if they’d be interested in a commercial. They’ll say, yes for sure, but they’ll quote you $150,000. We’re like, okay see you later. This one’s not going to work.”