Rhoback adds Virginia's Kihei Clark to NIL roster
Rhoback has signed Kihei Clark to its growing NIL roster.
The Virginia guard is the second basketball player to be signed by the brand in the last two weeks. North Carolina star Armando Bacot announced his partnership with Rhoback in late November.
In five games this season, Clark is averaging 10.4 points and 5.2 assists per game. He played a key role in delivering Virginia a national championship in his freshman season, and he’s continued to mature throughout his career. One of the nation’s top point guards, he was named to the Cousy Award Preseason Top-20 Watch List.
The senior will be compensated and have an opportunity to earn commission for sales he drives in, as part of the agreement. Plus, he will receive a substantial amount of gear. The other unique aspect of signing with the company is content creation. Rhoback is in the process of creating a media house. Athletes can work with the apparel company on brand messaging, along with content creation for social media channels.
“I’m proud to announce Rhoback Activewear as my official apparel sponsor this season and to become a leading face of the Rhoback U college athlete program,” Clark said in a statement provided by Rhoback.
“As a Charlottesville based company, it feels natural to partner with them as they have established themselves as one of fastest growing activewear brands. I’m excited to support a local business, while helping spread their Crave Activity motto with my teammates, fans and the broader community.”
The brand has focused on finding athletes who are some of the top in their sport and play for some of college sports’ top brands. Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Will Anderson, Notre Dame‘s Michael Mayer and Texas running back Bijan Robinson all signed with the apparel company this summer.
As for the exclusive apparel aspect of the partnership, the deal expires once Clark heads to the professional ranks. Rhoback is an activewear brand, meaning its athletes are open to signing on with business or formal apparel companies.
“We are honored to welcome Kihei Clark to the Rhoback family and join his team for the duration of the basketball season,” Rhoback said in a statement. “A national champion, All-Conference selection and nominee for the nation’s best Point Guard, Kihei will be a leading face of Rhoback U.
“As a Charlottesville based company, it has been amazing to watch Kihei establish himself as a staple in the C’ville community for several years.”
Kihei Clark’s On3 NIL Valuation
The Virginia basketball star currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $172,000, which ranks in the top 50 of college basketball. He’s built a strong social media following of 67,000 during his time in Charlottesville, too. Clark has a per-post projection of $962.
He has previously signed one deal, participating in a streamathon for the Virginia-focused NIL collective Cav Futures.
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.
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.