Elliot Cadeau believed to be 1st HS star to sign international NIL deal
According to a report from NJ.com, four-star point guard Elliot Cadeau is believed to be the first high school athlete in the United States to sign a NIL deal with an international company.
Cadeau – a sophomore from Oradell (N.J.) Bergen Catholic and star for the New Heights Lightning AAU team and U18 Swedish National Team – has inked a five-figure NIL deal with Swedish vitamin drink Vitamin Well, according to the report.
His mother, Michelle, is from Sweden, and his father, James, is Haitian, so he has links to many different corners of the world. But he proudly claims his Swedish heritage and represents the country in international basketball competitions.
“It means a lot,” Elliot, whose family lives in West Orange and who has dual American and Swedish citizenship, told NJ.com. “I really try to embrace my international side so working with companies over there in Sweden. I feel proud of that.”
Elliot Cadeau ranks as the No. 8 player in the Class of 2024, according to the On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He’s also the top point guard prospect in the class.
Besides establishing himself as one of the top point guards in his class, ElliotCadeau signed with Roc Nation Sports for NIL representation.
At the time, he was the first high school basketball player to sign with Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter’s group. The group represents NBA players such as LaMelo and LiAngelo Ball, Kevin Porter Jr., Danny Green, Isaiah Stewart and others.
“This international deal has Roc Nation’s fingerprints all over it,” an industry source told On3. “They’re one of the best in the business when it comes to landing attention-grabbing deals. It’s no surprise they’re linked to another big first.”
Not 1st time Elliot Cadeau made NIL news
According to the NJ.com report, Elliot Cadeau also has NIL deals with Swedish company Flowlife, which makes products in the exercise and recovery categories, as well as American companies Leaf Trading Cards and Wilson Sporting Goods. He also has his own clothing line, Elliot Cadeau Wear, and his own website Elliotcadeau.com.
The report says Cadeau must make two social media posts on behalf of the Vitamin Well each month. He currently has around 29,000 followers on social media, including more than 28,000 on Instagram.
Some college athletes have been linked to NIL deals with international companies, including UCLA volleyball player Mac May and St. John’s basketball player Julian Champagnie showing up in Mercedes Benz ads. But industry insiders told On3 that those weren’t full endorsements like Cadeau’s deal with Vitamin Well.
“Cadeau isn’t new to the NIL space,” On3 national basketball analyst Joe Tipton said. “This deal sure won’t be his last.”
Elliot Cadeau currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $29,000. The On3 NIL Valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time. Cadeau ranks No. 47 in the On3 High School Basketball NIL Rankings.
Cadeau is also big on giving back to his community. He hosted a free basketball camp for underprivileged kids in his community earlier this year.
“What inspired that was, I used to be that same kid, right in their footsteps,” Cadeau told Tipton earlier this year. “We targeted kids in my area, where there are a lot of minority kids. We rented out a place right next to that area so everybody could walk, and it was totally free. I just wanted to give back. It was really successful. All the kids had fun, and I had fun, too.”
Cadeau wants to visit Texas Tech, Tennessee
The recruiting process is just getting started for Elliot Cadeau. Considering he’s just now finishing up his sophomore year of high school, Cadeau has yet to take any official visits. But Tipton said a few schools have already started to stand out.
“When I recently spoke to him, he mentioned he’d like to visit Texas Tech, his dream school, and Tennessee at some point this summer,” Tipton said. “Barring any changes, Cadeau is likely a year away from making a decision.”