Georgia's Carson Beck signs first major NIL partnership with Zero FG Energy
Carson Beck is starting to settle into his role.
The Georgia starting quarterback has taken his fair share of bumps in the first month of the season. At times this year, the Bulldogs have struggled to establish the passing game. The former four-star quarterback had to overcome a slow start last weekend against South Carolina, too.
But on Saturday night against UAB, Beck showed off why he’s capable of leading Georgia to its second consecutive SEC title. The quarterback was 22 of 32 for for 338 yards and three touchdowns. He added another score on the ground. And he was able to get the ball to Brock Bowers, who scored his first two touchdowns of the year.
Now Beck has inked his first major NIL partnership. The quarterback has signed an endorsement deal with Zero FG Energy Drink. A natural citrus and berry-flavored carbonated drink, Zero FG is caffeinated with green tea extract and packed full of both vitamins and nutritional superfoods.
For the Georgia quarterback, it marks his first notable step into the name, image and likeness space. While he has worked with The Players’ Lounge, it’s his first publicly announced partnership. The Players’ Lounge started as an NFT platform, it has pivoted to creating content and experiences for fans. It’s Zero FG’s first NIL deal. The brand has previously worked with some NASCAR drivers but had yet to sign a college athlete.
Georgia’s schedule now ramps up. Sitting at 4-0 entering the final week of September, the Bulldogs hit the road for the first time this season. They’ll travel to Auburn for a 3:30 p.m. ET kick on Saturday. The Tigers are coming off a 27-10 loss at Texas A&M.
Beck will play in his first hostile environment. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart isn’t worried about the quarterback’s confidence.
“I’ve never seen his confidence not be there,” Smart said in his postgame news conference following the UAB win. “He’s a confident kid. He’s got experience that brings confidence. That’s just not in his DNA.”
Carson Beck starting to see NIL opportunities
The quarterback has more than 85,000 social media followers, thanks in part to his on-field performance and backing of the Georgia fanbase. Of that, 26K come from TikTok, which has turned out to be a heavily emphasized platform for brands.
His $291,000 On3 NIL Valuation ranks in the top 200 of college football. Beck is repped by Range Media Partners.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.