Georgia's Ladd McConkey inks NIL deal with Shuman Farms

Ladd McConkey made his way back to the football field last weekend.

Now he has signed one of his biggest NIL partnerships to date. The Georiga wide receiver has entered a season-long deal with Shuman Farms, which was facilitated by Everett Sports Management.

With a major focus on gameday tailgating, McConkey follows in the steps of his former quarterback, Stetson Bennett, who had an endorsement deal with Shuman Farms last year. Now the receiver will be taking over, promoting the sweet onions across social media.

“Ladd has shown that grit, determination and hard work are key ingredients to reaching your goals,” Shuman Farms president and CEO John Shuman said in a statement. “We’re looking forward to partnering with him this season to help us spread the word about Shuman Farms’ sweet onions as the MVP of any game day spread.”

Located in southeast Georgia, Shuman Farms is in the middle of Vidalia onion-growing country. McConkey is from Chatsworth, Georgia, which is north of Atlanta. More than 12,000 acres of Vidalia onions are grown annually, which constitutes about 40 percent of the nation’s spring onion production.

The onion is also the state vegetable of Georgia. McConkey will be involved in marketing efforts at point of sales throughout the state.

In a commercial set to release on social media, the Georgia receiver stars in a tailgating-themed ad where he talks about Shuman Farms’ impact around the state.

“Growing up in Georgia, there are three things you can count on: football Saturdays, family and food,” McConkey said in the ad. “Nobody knows that better than Shuman Farms. For two generations, Georiga family-owned Shuman Farms has grown the world’s sweetest onions all year long. Vidalia onions in the spring and summer and Peruvian sweet onions in the fall and winter. So Shuman farms can be a part of your family and gameday traditions, no matter the season.”

Ladd McConkey continuing to build out NIL brand

Now a two-time national champion, Ladd McConkey has been able to profit from his growing stardom status in Georgia. On top of the season-long deal with Shuman Farms, he also has partnerships with
Onward Reserve, Freddy’s and the Georgia-driven NIL collective Classic City Collective.

With more than 77,000 social media followers, McConkey has an attractive brand that companies want to do business with.

He also made his way back onto the field this past weekend after dealing with a back injury. The 6-foot, 185-pound receiver has tallied 89 catches for over 1,200 yards and 12 touchdowns in the last two years. In his return against Auburn, he caught four passes for 38 yards.

Before Georgia stepped in with a late scholarship offer two weeks before National Signing Day, McConkey was a no-star recruit with no Power Five scholarship offers. A 2022 All-SEC second-team selection, he’s one of the top prospects for the 2024 NFL draft if he can continue to stay healthy.

“It was awesome, I’m so glad to be out there with my guys,” McConkey said Saturday after his return. “I’ve been craving to get out there. … I wanted to be out there more than anything really. Been grinding, grinding, grinding and finally felt good enough to get back out there.”