Tennessee WR Ramel Keyton shaves Cheez-It into hair as part of NIL deal

Ramel Keyton goes all out for his NIL partnerships. On Friday, the Tennessee wide receiver posted a photo of himself with a Cheez-It design shaved into his haircut. While the look itself isn’t edible, his sponsors will surely eat up the promotion.

The go-to cheese cracker snack signed four athletes to NIL deals ahead of the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl between Iowa and Tennessee on New Year’s Day. Tennessee receiver Ramel Keyton and running back Dylan Sampson and Iowa linebacker Jay Higgins and cornerback Sebastian Castro signed deals with the brand.

As part of the agreement, each athlete gets to participate in the Cheez-It Flexin’ Section, a first-of-its-kind barbershop and spa-inspired experience on the field at Camping World Stadium. The barbershop is staffed by all-star athlete barber Kenny Duncan, who has worked with Michael B. Jordan, the Philadelphia 76ers and more.

With the way he’s played this season, Keyton deserves the all-star treatment. Keyton boasts 32 receptions this season for a career-high 591 yards and six touchdowns. Keyton’s six touchdowns are the most on the team this year.

Along with the NIL deals, the Cheez-It Flexin’ Section services give fans a whole new way to show off their love of Cheez-It with looks to rock their go-to game day snack from head to toe, literally. 

According to Cheez-It, the absurdly cheezy destination, dedicated to creating the cheeziest superfan makeovers, will dish out one-of-a-kind Cheez-It-ified treatments including orange hair dye jobs, mani/cheddiz (get it?), cheez-scented massages and the chance to soak up all the action from the literal hottest seats in the house – the Cheez-It on-field hot tub.

“After last year’s excitement around our ‘Feelin’ the Cheeziest’ Hotel Rooms, we knew we had to take the fan and player experience to the next level,” Cara Tragselier, senior brand director for Cheez-It said in a news release. 

“Cheez-It is all about elevating game day excitement and celebrating the absurdly obsessed fans of all things football, from the game to the food. We cannot wait to unveil the Cheez-It Flexin’ Section to give fans the most epic game viewing experience and all the tools to show their pride for their favorite team and their favorite snack.”

Keyton’s fellow Cheez-It-endorsed athletes haven’t shown off any cheesy accessories yet, but there’s still time. On Jan. 1, Tennessee and Iowa will square off in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl at 1 p.m. ET. The game will be broadcast on ABC.