Alabama's Jalen Milroe, Terrion Arnold form LANK brand, release apparel
Sitting around the Alabama locker room last year, Jalen Milroe and Terrion Arnold agreed they needed something to motivate them and their teammates.
Two key players on this year’s roster decided to create the motto LANK, which stands for “Let all naysayers know.” With some doubt surrounding the Tide, after they failed to make the College Football Playoff last season, it has become a rallying cry this year.
Now Milroe and Arnold have taken it a step further, turning the slogan into a brand.
“Obviously Bryce [Young] was the quarterback then,” Arnold recently told On3’s Andy Staples. “And Bryce, very, very humble. Nonchalant and just as far, never too high, never too low. J-Mil, the total opposite. J-Mil, in the locker room, is the center of attention in there. In player meetings, he’s going to get up, he gone talk, say what’s on his mind.
“So just as far that being, we came up with ‘LANK.’ He was like, ‘Man we gotta really go out here and let these naysayers know because they doubting us.’”
Working with Athlete’s Thread and Alabama, the quarterback and wide receiver have released LANK apparel. The merchandise includes officially licensed logos and marks from the institution, making it even more authentic.
Among the 31 pieces of clothing available are T-shirts, sweatshirts, jackets and shorts. Athlete’s Thread did not provide specifics but said “a significant portion of the commissions” would go to Milroe and Arnold, thanks to NIL.
In the NIL Era, athletes have been able to profit from merchandise through companies like Athlete’s Thread and Campus Ink. It’s not as common to see two high-profile creating a brand apparel brand in partnership with their institution. There are plans for the LANK line to expand, too, with coffee mugs, posters, stickers and water bottles.
Jalen Milroe, Terrion Arnold thrive in NIL space
A former four-star recruit, Jalen Milroe has emerged as the starting quarterback for Alabama this season. In six games he’s thrown for 1,397 yards with 11 touchdowns and four interceptions. After being benched in the South Florida game, he’s responded by leading the Tide to four consecutive wins. Alabama hosts No. 11 Tennessee this weekend before hosting No. 19 LSU on Nov. 11.
Milroe has built out an impressive NIL portfolio, touting deals with Rhoback, Beats by Dre and the NIL collective Yea Alabama. He also recently starred in a national campaign for Hey Dude shoes, which launched a collegiate line. The quarterback has a $686,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 43 in college football. His valuation is also No. 58 in the On3 NIL 100, the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.
Arnold has returned to his starting cornerback role this season after earning Freshman All-American honors a year ago. He ranks fifth on the roster with 36 total tackles, including four for loss. He’s also tallied an interception and six pass breakups.
He’s also developed into an NIL star with more than 275,000 social media followers. Working with the Family 4 Life agency, he’s signed endorsement deals with Hellmann’s Mayo and Powerade this season. He also holds a long-term agreement with Yea Alabama.
With the large social media following and lockdown cornerback status, he has an On3 NIL Valuation of $546,000. The valuation is No. 100 in the NIL 100 and 76th in college football.
About the On3 NIL Valuation
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.
About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value
While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career. Furthermore, the On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. 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. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.