NCAA NIL tracker: Which college athletes signed endorsement deals on Day 1?
Get ready to add some new names to the sport history books.
As midnight struck on Thursday, Antwan Owens, a defensive end at Jackson State University, made history by becoming what is believed to be the first college athlete to sign an endorsement deal, per Sports Illustrated.
This comes on the heels of the NCAA’s newly approved interim NIL policy that allows athletes the ability to make money from endorsements and sponsorships while retaining eligibility.
Owens signed with 3 Kings Grooming, a Cincinnati-based company that sells luxury hair products and equipment.
"Somebody pinch me," Owens told "Sports Illustrated." "This is something that’s going to be life-changing, generationally life-changing."
The next endorsement deal didn’t take long to roll in behind Owens. At 12:01 a.m. ET on Thursday, Auburn quarterback Bo Nix announced his first sponsorship with Milo’s Sweet Tea.
He shared a photo holding the drink to his nearly 100,000 Instagram followers and shared his excitement to "represent the best sweet tea ever."
And it's safe to say the state of Alabama is already feeling some type of way about Milo’s newest brand rep.
Next up was University of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King, who signed on as a co-founder of Dreamfield – an NIL-based platform focused on booking live events for student-athletes – just after midnight on Thursday morning, per ESPN.
King also agreed to two endorsement deals with Tampa-based companies College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving and Murphy Auto Group. He received a combined $10,000 signing bonus from the two companies and will receive monthly compensation as well topping $20,000, according to the Miami Herald.
King is set to sign a third deal on Thursday with The Wharf, a lavish open-air event space on the Miami River that regularly hosts Hollywood celebrities, before making a paid club appearance Thursday night, per SI. He has also dropped his own website selling trademarked apparel and signed memorabilia.
The second co-founder of Dreamfield alongside King is Florida State QB McKenzie Milton, who is set to be the first student-athlete with a NFT (non-fungible token) on the market.
"This is an opportunity for me to get my foot in the door to start being an entrepreneur, but this is also something that I'm passionate about, helping college athletes monetize off their name, image and likeness," Milton told ESPN. "This should have been something going on for a while, but now it's here, and it's a cool opportunity."
Two of the first athletes to partner with Dreamfield are Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham – who has already set up a $300/hour appearance fee through the site – and Indiana QB Michael Penix, who will be charging brands up to $500 to make an appearance on their behalf.
Fresno State women's basketball players and twin sisters Hayley and Hanna Cavinder are some of the first female college athletes to land an NIL deal. The two announced a partnership with Boost Mobile in the early morning hours on Thursday.
Hours later, the pair took to social media to share their second endorsement deal of the with Six Star Pro Nutrition. The twins have a collective 3.8 million followers across TikTok and Instagram and will hold live media appearances in Times Square on Thursday.
In some cases, female athletes may have more earning potential than their male counterparts because of the sheer magnitude of their followings, like the Cavinder sisters.
This also goes for University of Connecticut basketball star Paige Bueckers, who has nearly 1.2 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, and LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne, who has five million followers across both platforms and is likely to be the top-earning athlete in the country male or female, per Sports Illustrated's Ross Dellenger.
Another college athlete who locked down their first endorsement deal is Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball player Dontaie Allen. The freshman guard signed a merchandise deal with The Player's Trunk and announced his own personalized apparel line is in the works.
By midday Thursday, nearly a dozen Wildcats followed Allen's lead, signing up for the video-sharing website Cameo, an app that allows public figures to send personalized video messages to fans for a fee.
Similarly, Iowa guard Jordan Bohannon revealed his trademark on social media on Thursday, along with his own clothing line, J30 Apparel. Bohannon also made his first paid appearance at Boomin Iowa Fireworks.
Then there's Oklahoma QB and Heisman Trophy favorite Spencer Rattler, the top quarterback heading into 2021 according to Sports Nation, who shared his eagerness to work with brands while unveiling his own trademark.
"I am excited for the opportunities ahead with name, image and likeness," he wrote. "This is a great new era for college athletes. At the same time, we must continue to prioritize academics and athletics. I am focused on my grades and growing on the field in hopes of bringing a national championship to Norman.
"We as players must use our platform and this new NIL opportunity to do good in the world. I will donate a part of my earnings I receive to help underserved people and underserved communities. The time is now."
Wisconsin Badgers quarterback Graham Mertz also released a video on social media that revealed his own personalized logo, which the redshirt sophomore will presumably use for a range of branding opportunities.
Other athletes cashing in one the first day of the NIL policy include Nebraska volleyball player Lexi Sun, who signed a deal with Ren, a volleyball apparel company, and Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball player Jayden Gardner, who signed a deal with Stockrisers.com to write a weekly blog, Texas defensive backs Josh Thompson and DeMarvion Overshown, who are set to sign deals with Last Stand Hats, and incoming 5-star freshman quarterback Brock Vandagriff, who is one of five Georgia Bulldog players set to finalize deals with Onward Reserve, a men’s apparel company in Atlanta.
This is only the beginning stages for student-athletes monetizing their brands and image, but it appears that they're off to a blazing start.
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