Caleb Williams lands another major NIL deal

USC quarterback Caleb Williams has struck another Name, Image and Likeness deal, this time with Hawkins Way Capital, a Beverly Hills-based real estate private equity fund. The partners of the fund intend to introduce Williams to the real estate world with the possibility of partnering on future investment opportunities, according to a Los Angeles Times report.

“I’m excited about the opportunity to get some experiential learning in a valuable component of business,” Williams said in a statement.

This isn’t Williams first go-around with a major NIL deal. He currently holds partnerships with with Beats by Dre, a licensing agreement with Fanatics, he helped launch an Alkaline water brand, and even became a part-owner of a modern men’s grooming company.

The terms of that investment were not disclosed, according to the report. What was revealed, however, is that Williams will receive annual compensation for the partnership.

Ross Walker, a managing partner at Hawkins Way, said that his relationship with Williams came about from more of an intent to mentor the college football superstar. The two actually met while Williams was still in high school.

“We’re taking a bet with Caleb and hopefully he crushes it and a lot of good can come from that,” Walker said. “But we legitimately want him to learn and to provide him opportunities. We bring a lot of real estate investments, but we can also be a sounding board for him. He can talk to us. We can give him objective advice. It’s really an investment in this kid.”

This is a long-term deal for the sophomore NFL hopeful. It’s preparing him for business opportunities away from football and “both sides believe is the first of its kind in college sports.”

“Our plan is to expose him to how our firm operates and how we do business,” Walker said. “We’ll give him the opportunity to participate in ideas. And also, vice versa, when he gets opportunities presented to him, we can help him understand how to analyze those, and we can participate in those together.”

Real estate developer Lew Wolff, who is a fellow partner at Hawkins Way and chairman emeritus of the Oakland Athletics met Williams and his father last August right before landing at Oklahoma. Wolff was “immediately impressed” by the football star and realized the potential for him outside of football.

“Hopefully he will come out of this as [Tom] Brady or somebody like that,” Wolff said. “I want Caleb, when he has time, to learn and have a business when he leaves sports.