NCAA Name, Image, Likeness rules start with a lot of fun

NCAA Name Image Likeness
(Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports)

The first day of NCAA Name, Image, Likeness rights has started with a bang. There have been all kinds of athletes announcing deals and sending out #ADs on their social media pages. Let’s break down the coolest, strangest, and funniest endorsements that NCAA athletes have announced already. We’ll keep up throughout the day and update you with the best NIL announcements out there.

The first big announcement came from Fresno State twins, Haley and Hanna Cavinder who both play hoops for the Bulldogs. Haley is the Mountain West’s Player of the Year from this past season and the twins helped lead the Bulldogs to the Women’s NIT title.

With hundreds of thousands of followers across their social media pages, the twins have big-time name recognition in a market that most people aren’t even aware of. Social media may be the future of college and professional sports. With tons of niche Snapchat stories and TikTok communities out there, it is impossible to tell what the limit is for these types of deals and who can benefit.

Tell me if you guessed this next one. The first Kentucky Wildcat men’s basketball player to sign a NIL deal? Well of course it’s the local sharpshooter, Dontaie Allen. John Calipari is going to be all-in on using the UK brand to maximize NIL for his players.

The Players Trunk makes merch for athletes to sell and curate themselves. They have worked with professionals in the past and now are expanding into the NCAA market. It wasn’t a 5-star one-and-done to benefit first, and of course, Allen won’t be the only Wildcat to make these kinds of deals.

The first Michigan State Spartan to put out a NIL tweet? None other than Matthew Coghlin, the starting kicker for the Spartans football team. This one gets the funniest of the day. Despite having no knowledge of the podcast he was sponsoring, he gave a glowing endorsement.

Down in Miami, the Hurricanes quarterback, D’Eriq King signed a NIL with the moving company College Hunks Hauling Junk. He’s going to end up earning $20,000 from the deal. That’s big money for just one deal and is only the tip of the iceberg for what is possible in this new era.

Not only that, King will partner with Florida State QB McKenzie Milton in a new NIL venture to help other athletes navigate this new landscape. The company will be called Dreamfield and will help in booking live events for athletes such as signings and other events.

Milton will also be the first student-athlete to have his own NFT while King will have one debuting later. The sports world now has an injection of a few thousand new potential entrepreneurs and more things like this are going to be announced.

One of the coolest announcements came from Will Ulmer of Marshall University Football. The offensive lineman announced that he can now pursue and perform his music under his own name. This isn’t just about making money, this is about allowing athletes to pursue other passions in their life.


Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated dropped the most tone-deaf cover of the day with their Miami targeted graphic. It is greedy for athletes to make a living in college apparently.

Bo Nix of Auburn football landed himself a sweet deal. He is partnering with Milo’s Tea. Throughout the south, you can find Milo’s and for Nix, it’s apparently a family tradition.

Cincinnati Bearcat receiver Jadon Thompson announced a deal with Yoke Gaming. Yoke is a service that allows fans to play video games with their favorite athletes. They have made deals with various athletes already and are an early player in the NIL game. Expect more from them.

Stay tuned for more updates and fun NIL deals and endorsements.

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