Kentucky's Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard ink NIL deals with Donatos
Donatos has struck NIL gold again in the Kentucky market.
The pizza franchise entered a year-long endorsement deal with Oscar Tshiebwe ahead of the 2022-23 season. Now the company is back in the Lexington market, working with the freshmen duo of Rob Dillingham and Reed Sheppard. Donatos has five locations spread throughout Lexington.
The Kentucky guards announced a new NIL partnership with Donatos in a video released Monday on social media. In return for using the special promo code “DonatsDuo,” Big Blue fans can score a special edition poster of Dillingham and Sheppard.
“We’re your official Donatos Duo,” Sheppard said in the promotional video. “Order our favorite pizzas at any Lexington location and get a limited edition poster. My favorite pizza is the hot honey, and you can add banana peppers if you want it ‘Reed Style.'”
“And I’m a fan of pepperoni, so I always go for The Pepp 150, so you should get that,” Dillingham adds.
The 16th-ranked Wildcats are currently 19-8 overall with a 9-3 mark in the SEC, coming off a major weekend victory over Alabama. Kentucky is looking at a potential No. 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, according to the latest bracketology from On3’s James Fletcher.
Sheppard, the son of Kentucky legend Jeff Sheppard, has carved out a role for himself as a true freshman. The former four-star recruit and top-40 prospect in the 2023 class is averaging 28.2 minutes with 11.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and 4.1 assists. Plus, he’s shooting 51.4% from beyond the arc.
Dillingham has found similar success, averaging 15 points and 3.9 rebounds. The former No. 15 prospect in the nation is shooting 48.8% from the field, too.
Rob Dillingham, Reed Sheppard hold major NIL potential
Rob Dillingham is poised to capitalize in the NIL Era with nearly 800,000 social media followers and a brand like Kentucky behind him. Arguably his biggest deal to date has been with the suncare brand KINLÒ. He’s also promoted companies like Shop GLD and Crossover Culture.
Still expected to be a top pick in the 2024 NBA draft, Dillingham holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $765,000, which ranks No. 10 in the college basketball NIL rankings. His valuation is No. 53 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.
Kentucky’s homegrown hero, Sheppard has not wasted any time building out his NIL portfolio. With more than 85,000 social media followers, he’s inked endorsement deals with The Dairy Alliance, Topps, Planet Fitness and Robert Alexander Center for Recovery.
“Despite what some fans and media believe, there is not an unlimited amount of money being deployed to manage rosters,” said Shannon Terry, the founder and CEO of On3. “Any model – whether it’s today’s broken NCAA ‘student-athlete’ construct or media rights sharing through employment, which is almost a certainty in the near future – demands efficiency based on the athlete and school knowing the athlete’s respective market value.”
The On3 NIL Valuation is calculated by combining Roster Value and personal NIL. 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. NIL in an athlete’s name, image and likeness and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.