K-State star Keyontae Johnson’s NIL deal goes straight to the heart
Kansas State senior forward Keyontae Johnson is one of the best stories of this college basketball season.
Johnson collapsed on the Florida Gators’ sideline during a game against Florida State two years ago. He spent 10 days in the hospital and never played another meaningful minute for the Gators. Many thought his career was over. But he landed at Kansas State, where doctors gave his heart the green light. He emerged as the Big 12’s third-leading scorer and rebounder while helping the Wildcats to their highest ranking in more than a decade.
Now Johnson has struck a NIL deal with Heartfelt that makes sense on so many levels. Raymond Representation facilitated the agreement.
Heartfelt is a company that provides “cardiac screening in order to save lives from preventable tragedies,” such as Sudden Cardiac Death (SCD). Heartfelt offers echocardiograms and electrocardiograms for a nominal donation per screening. The company also has a special focus on screenings for student-athletes and college students. Heartfelt says early screenings are key to discovering heart ailments like the one that impacted Johnson.
“A lot of you might have known that I collapsed in a game on Dec. 12, 2020,” Johnson says in the commercial released announcing the NIL partnership. “But I’m beyond grateful that God gave me a second chance to play the game that I love. I’m not sure if you know, but Sudden Cardiac Arrest is the No. 1 cause of death on a school campus and is the No. 1 killer of student-athletes.
“I’m excited to announce that I have partnered with Heartfelt. Heartfelt is an organization that’s saved over 1,000 lives and helps individuals with early detection for heart issues. As a non-profit, Heartfelt needs a financial offer to help with these services. Please donate and help spread the word.”
Mit Winter, a sports attorney and NIL expert at Kennyhertz Perry LLC, told On3 this deal is NIL at its best.
“The athlete gets to use his notoriety and social media following to help raise money for a cause that means something to him,” Winter said. “And from the nonprofit side, it gets an authentic ambassador to help it raise funds to support its mission. To top it off, the athlete gets to make some money as well.
“NIL has actually been great for charities and nonprofits. Although many people have questioned 501(c)(3) collectives, their work has led to many college athletes being exposed to local charities, working for those charities, or helping those charities raise money. This is another great byproduct of NIL.”
Keyontae Johnson embraces ‘Rebirth Day’
After his eye-opening medical ordeal, Johnson has made a full recovery and now plays a key role for a top-15 ranked K-State team. He now refers to Dec. 13 as his “Rebirth Day.”
K-State also played a role in celebrating the day for Johnson in 2022, with his teammates surprising him with a rendition of a happy birthday tune – although much different from the traditional tune.
“We all just want to be here to celebrate this thing with you,” K-State coach Jerome Tang said to Johnson in the video. “It’s amazing to see what God can do. And I’m thankful for the opportunity to live life with you. And happy birthday, many more to come!”
Johnson has massive On3 NIL
Even though he doesn’t have a long list of NIL deals on his resume, Keyontae Johnson has established himself as one of the best players in the best conference in the country. He’s averaging 18.1 points a game for the Wildcats, and that success heading into March Madness could make him an even more valuable brand for potential NIL deals.
Johnson has an On3 NIL Valuation of $357,000, which ranks 24th in all of college basketball. He’s also No. 104 in the On3 NIL 100 rankings. With his success this season and continued growth in social media followers, his On3 NIL Valuation has grown by 73% over the last 10 weeks.
About On3 NIL Valuation
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets high school and college athletes’ projected annual value (PAV).
A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate by measuring two categories, Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index.
The Brand Value Index measures the national licensing and sponsorship market. The Roster Value Index collects data from all school Collectives into a proprietary Roster Management software. Brand Value and Roster Value are combined to create the overall NIL market.
Using the overall NIL market size, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s Brand Value and Roster Value by using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories:
+ Performance
+ Influence
+ Exposure
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. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future. The On3 NIL Valuation is publicly available. Performance, Influence, and Exposure ratings along with the athlete’s personal Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index are available only to the athlete in the “Athlete Verified” private dashboard on the On3 Athlete Network.