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Valiant Management releases sale of NFTs for three Michigan football players

clayton-sayfieby:Clayton Sayfie•02/20/22•

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Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy
(Photo by John Fisher/Getty Images)

It’s been in the works for some time, as reported at TheWolverine.com in the fall, but it’s finally official: Valiant Management, the leading sports marketing agency specializing in connecting University of Michigan athletes with fans and businesses via name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities, has released NFTs (non-fungible tokens) for three U-M sophomores — quarterback J.J. McCarthy, running back Donovan Edwards and wide receiver Andrel Anthony. The NFTs went up for sale Sunday at noon ET.

“Valiant MGMT is proud to release the first ever Officially Licensed University of Michigan NFTs with current student athletes,” the company, founded by former Michigan football player Jared Wangler and former Michigan hockey player Niko Porikos.” Featuring J.J. McCarthy, Donovan Edwards, and Andrel Anthony each player will release a Series 1 in a Gold, Silver, and Blue.

“The NFTs have utility included from 1 on 1 experiences, to group zoom calls, and signed memorabilia. [Fans] can purchase the NFTs directly on our website marketplace, with no cryptocurrency or NFT experience needed!”

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With Valiant Management — which has helped numerous Michigan athletes profit off their name, image and likeness — being allowed by U-M to use university trademarks NIL deals, the trio of Wolverines were able to include the iconic winged helmet and their uniforms in the NFTs.

This is just the beginning, as well, with the company also planning to release more NFTs for other Michigan athletes in the future.

Since Valiant Management’s founding in 2021, its team has secured nearly million dollars in NIL deals for University of Michigan student-athletes, the company says. Examples include group licensing apparel deals with the football, basketball and hockey teams, signing events at The MDen, marketing partnerships with local and national brands, media appearances, signed memorabilia, podcast appearances and private training sessions, along with the NFT release.

Michigan Sophomores With Big NIL Valuations From On3

McCarthy has the highest NIL Valuation from On3 Sports of any current Michigan football player at $218,000, a number that ranks 29th on the College Football NIL rankings. The NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. It doesn’t act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.

McCarthy, who recently signed a deal with Randy Wise Automotive, becoming the set of dealerships’ “official QB,” is in contention to start for the Wolverines this fall. He has 102,000 followers on Instagram, with a $1,100 per-post value according to On3, and 38,000 followers on Twitter.

While neither Anthony nor Edwards appear among the top 100 college football players, they both have significant NIL Valuations that are expected to rise in the next year. Anthony is knocking on the door at No. 120 in the nation with a $104,000 valuation, while Edwards checks in 364th at $55,000.

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