As you probably know, on July 1st name, image, and likeless rules were put into place by the NCAA meaning that players could start profiting in any way they could think how, from signing endorsement deals to making paid appearances to branding and selling personal products.
As soon as 12:01 on July 1st hit there were players starting to make announcements, so we already know how several players have been able to capitalize.
For a brand as big as the University of Florida with a gigantic alumni base there is certain to be plenty of opportunities available to players. The NCAA also made the rule that players can always be responsible for their own business dealings, but it’s up to individual schools to decide whether or not they want to help line up deals for players. This is certainly going to be a recruiting tool moving forward, despite the fact that the NCAA doesn’t want that to be the case, but it’s something to monitor moving forward.
So far, here are the players on Florida’s basketball team that have started their NIL journeys.
Boston College transfer CJ Felder and returning center Jason Jitoboh both announced on instagram that they will be endorsing PSD Underwear, a Los Angeles based brand who is already endorsed by NBA stars Jimmy Butler, Ja Morrant, and Trae Young. Exactly their role in endorsing the company isn’t yet known, but don’t be surprised if you soon see something on their social media regarding a coupon code that would give them a kick back on any purchases with PSD.
Walk-on Jack May announced he’d be partnering with sports and culture company Barstool Sports, who was openly campaigning on Twitter for NCAA athletes to work with them. Once again, it’s unknown exactly what the partnership will be, but we saw on Twitter that they had struck some form of deal.
Let’s gooo https://t.co/p7NFZbJo3U
— Jack May (@jackmay24) July 1, 2021
May wasn’t the only walk-on making business moves as Alex Klatsky teased a t-shirt with his new logo on it, a stylized graphic of his initials. They aren’t yet available for purchase, but presumably soon will be. This has been the most common of ways that players have looked to profit off their name, image, and likeness so far so I’d expect a number of players to have their own clothing lines available soon, something that a handful of players on the football team have already done.
UMKC transfer Brandon McKissic didn’t make an official announcement for how he’d be profiting yet but he did ask that people start subscribing to him on Twitch, a popular streaming service. McKissic plays popular video games and hinted that he plans on streaming himself doing so, something that fans can pay a subscription fee to take part in. Thousands upon thousands of people make considerable money doing this, so it makes sense why McKissic would give it a whirl.
Keyontae Johnson, Phlandrous Fleming, and Tyree Appleby didn’t announce any deals but posted on their Instagram accounts that they are open to all offers and will be looking into how they can profit. If he is cleared to play then Keyontae Johnson would be one of the biggest name players in college basketball who would have an incredible story of perseverance, so there could be a massive deal from a company who wants to partner with him.
It’s still unknown if Colin Castleton will return to Florida, but he has a solid social media following and would be a big-name returner to college basketball, meaning there could be some lucrative deals there for him. This is important to consider, because how much money he could make with an endorsement deal will be something he weighs against what he might make in the NBA G League should he be thinking about that direction.
A player I expected to make a deal quickly was Penn State transfer Myreon Jones, but he is yet to announce anything. He is an intelligent person who already has his own podcast, so he’s used to self promotion. Will we see sponsorship on that podcast soon? Quite possibly.
Just 48 hours into the NIL rules coming alive there are certainly still plenty of deals to be done, but this is all that the players have announced so far. This is a fascinating development in college sports that has massive implications with how player acquisition and movement is going to occur, so the deals these players make are something worth keeping an eye on.