Boise State releases licensed football trading card set made possible through NIL

Mike Walsh and Boise State continue to shake up the NIL space.

Boise State is nationally recognized as having one of the top in-house NIL operations. In addition, Walsh, Boise State’s Associate Athletic Director for Business Development and Revenue Innovation, helped the university earn the award for the best institutional NIL program at the inaugural NIL Summit in June. Plus, Walsh was recently named one of On3’s top 25 most influential figures in NIL. Now, Walsh and his department have crafted a unique NIL deal.

Through a relationship with Jacksons Food Stores, Boise State claims it is the first college football program with its entire team represented in a trading card set since the advent of NIL. Plus, Jacksons Food Stores’ investment in printing more than 10,000 cards makes it the largest trading card venture for any school in the country.

The officially licensed, professionally designed, printed and packaged trading cards will be sold exclusively at 103 Jacksons locations across the greater Boise metro area beginning Friday. Each pack contains 14 cards and will retail for $12.99. One out of every 10 packs will also include a limited-edition, autographed card.

The full set includes cards featuring each football student-athlete and Buster Bronco. The 10 limited-edition autographed cards, numbered 1-100, depict Bronco standouts Scott Matlock, Ezekiel Noa, John Ojukwu, JL Skinner, Riley Smith and more.

“I am really thankful there is an opportunity like this,” Ojukwu said in a news release from the university. “I remember being a kid growing up in Boise. It was the coolest thing ever to get something that had a Boise State football player on it. Now to get to play a role in what those items are and see them on store shelves. I love it.”

Deal possible through Boise State’s group licensing opportunity

Additionally, the partnership is made possible by Boise State’s in-house group licensing opportunity. The athletic department’s longtime multimedia rights holder, Bronco Sports Properties, also played a role in the deal. The terms of the deals with the football players were not released.

Walsh told Front Office Sports the program is “licensing in its truest form.” He also said, “Jacksons sees the value in Boise State student-athletes. They are making an investment in that value without hedging.”

Furthermore, Boise State Director of Athletics Jeramiah Dickey said his department is grateful to Jacksons for wanting to be a part of this “exciting opportunity on the ground floor

“We are thrilled to partner with a major player in the Treasure Valley to bring this deal to life,” Dickey said in a release. “We look forward to finding opportunities to grow the partnership to benefit even more Boise State student-athletes and fans.”