Kyle Filipowski, Armando Bacot headline HEYDUDE NIL collection
HEYDUDE has supported NIL since its inception.
For example, the shoe brand known for its comfort and versatility, signed nine South Carolina baseball players to NIL deals last summer. Then before the start of the football season, HEYDUDE releases its collegiate collection featuring 12 high-profile college athletes at Alabama, Florida, LSU, Tennessee and Texas, including future Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels.
HEYDUDE returned to the college space once again, announcing its second season of the collegiate collection just in time for March Madness and the start of spring sports with 16 athletes from Duke, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina and Texas A&M. The officially licensed shoes feature school logos, men and women’s styles and retail for $74.99.
One of the headliners in the deal is Duke star Kyle Filipowski, the 7-foot center who is expected to be a surefire first-round NBA draft pick. Another is North Carolina’s Armando Bacot, who ranks third on the Tar Heel’s all-time scoring list. Kentucky’s leading scorer Antonio Reeves is also featured in the partnership. Additionally, the deal includes star female athletes such as UNC’s Alyssa Ustby, Miami’s Ja’Leah Williams and UK’s Maddie Scherr – all three are expected to compete for numerous postseason honors.
The complete list of deals facilitated by Postgame:
- Armando Bacot – North Carolina – basketball
- Jason Bodin – Texas A&M – baseball
- Travis Chestnut – Texas A&M – baseball
- Kyle Filipowski – Duke – basketball
- Kyndall Hunter – Texas A&M – women’s basketball
- Jett Johnston – Texas A&M – baseball
- Emma Koabel – Duke – women’s basketball
- Nijel Pack – Miami – basketball
- Antonio Reeves – Kentucky – basketball
- Endyia Rogers – Texas A&M – women’s basketball
- Eniya Russell – Kentucky – women’s basketball
- Maddie Scherr – Kentucky – women’s basketball
- Caden Sorrell – Texas A&M – baseball
- Brady Sullivan – Texas A&M – baseball
- Alyssa Ustby – North Carolina – women’s basketball
- Ja’Leah Williams – Miami – women’s basketball
HEYDUDE adds to Bacot, Filipowski’s NIL resumes
This is hardly the first significant brand deal for Bacot – one of the first NIL stars in college basketball. Since the start of the 2023-2024 season, Bacot has added NIL deals from Simple Truth, Dunkin’ and HEYDUDE. He previously has partnered in deals with Frosted Flakes, crocs, Rhoback, MoneyLion, ZIPS Car Wash, Fanatics and many others.
Bacot has openly spoken about the impact NIL has made in his decision to stay at UNC instead of pursuing professional opportunities. Bacot has an On3 NIL Valuation of $499,000 – boosted largely by his personal NIL success combined with UNC’s roster value.
LOOK: Antonio Reeves model new UK HEYDUDE shoes
“(It was) a no-brainer,” Bacot said. “I get a chance to get better, get my degree, be around all my friends and then also make a lot of money.”
Since he arrived at Duke, Filipowski has expanded his following while dominating on the court.
The former five-star recruit and No. 1 player in the 2022 class, Filipowski has seen his NIL brand close in on roughly 50,000 social media followers. He’s signed endorsement deals with Bonchon, the Duke NIL Store and the Crowne at 501 apartment complex. His On3 NIL Valuation of $388,000 is No. 28 in the college basketball NIL rankings.
Earlier this month, he inked a new NIL deal with Bite Brands and Haystack Sourcing Solutions to release Snack Fanatics Chips.
Emma Koabel’s NIL valuation climbing
Emma Koabel, a native of Port Colborne, Ontario, entered the 2023-2024 season with only four games under her belt for Duke. But this season she’s become a key reserve. She’s played in 25 games, including all of Duke’s ACC games. She was also a member of the U19 Canadian National Team.
Koabel is also a budding influencer with a massive following, especially on TikTok. She’s got nearly 800,000 followers across all of her platforms, including 752,000 on TikTok alone. That presence has allowed Koabel to grow NIL opportunities, including recent deals with PVL Sports Nutrition and the Mamba & Mambacita Sports Foundation.
She’s recently seen her On3 NIL Valuation climb to $98,000 – which ranks No. 16 in women’s college basketball. An NIL brand expert told On3 that she’s one of the top “athletes to watch” in 2024 because of how her online persona is basketball-first and is wildly popular with followers of Team Canada.
About the On3 NIL Valuation
The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining roster value and personal NIL. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors into the role of NIL collectives. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.