Houston QB signee Keisean Henderson details mindset for navigating NIL

As he developed into a highly rated recruit at Houston (TX) Legacy SSS, Keisean Henderson did not profit through NIL. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation to change that prior to his senior year, paving the way for athletes age 17 or older to enter into deals.

But shortly after arriving at Houston, Henderson is getting ready to navigate the space. He signed an NIL deal with Panini America last week, and he headed to San Francisco for Super Bowl LX days after announcing the partnership.

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Because he couldn’t sign deals at the high school level, Henderson said he was able to lock in on football. He told On3 he plans to take a similar approach as he gets his college career underway.

“In Texas, I wasn’t able to do any NIL or anything. … That’s why it was pretty easy for me because a lot of that was on the back end,” Henderson told On3 last week via phone. “I was just worried about playing football and being a better football player or that year, up-and-coming.

“My mind wasn’t really on anything NIL-wise. It’s never really been on NIL. It’s just been playing football and what comes.”

Henderson is currently going through winter workouts at Houston after signing with the Cougars on National Signing Day. He has a $1 million On3 NIL Valuation, meaning he’s sure to be a marketable name after arriving as a Five Star Plus+ recruit.

Still, Henderson said football needs to be the priority. If he succeeds on the field, the rest will fall into place from there.

“Keeping the main thing the main thing,” Henderson said of his mindset for NIL. “Without football, I wouldn’t be able to do anything outside of it. So just making sure that I’m dedicating all my time to, what is the maker of all of this?

“I feel like without football, I wouldn’t have the NIL side of things, so it’s just hand-in-hand. That comes to say, keeping the main thing the main thing.”

Keisean Henderson spoke with On3 from San Francisco ahead of Super Bowl LX from the Panini Prizm VIP lounge, which hosted NFL players and legends. Panini is the exclusive trading card partner of the NFL.