Michael Vick taking role as quarterback mentor for NIL firm
Michael Vick is making his first foray in NIL with what he knows best: quarterbacks.
The former Virginia Tech and NFL Pro Bowl quarterback has joined Levels Sports Group as its head of athlete development. The news was announced Tuesday morning.
Vick will be working with On3 Consensus five-star plus quarterback Malachi Nelson — who wears the No. 7 — and four-star wide receiver Makai Lemon. Both are USC commits. Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei is also a client.
The No. 1 overall in the 2001 NFL Draft, Vick finished his NFL career with more than 22,000 passing yards and 133 touchdowns. He made his mark as a rusher, however, racking up more than 6,000 yards and 37 touchdowns on the ground.
In his role with these quarterbacks, he will be helping specifically with the mental and physical development. His knowledge of the landscape will also help Levels guide the athletes in the NIL landscape.
“I could not be more excited to partner with Levels and work with the talented athletes on their roster,” Vick said in a release. “As someone who has had success at the highest level of football, I am looking forward to mentoring guys like DJ, Malachi and Makai, and helping them get to wherever they want their football and professional careers to go.”
Vick himself has made north of $20 million in sponsorships and endorsements throughout his career. The former Heisman Trophy finalist went on to be named to four Pro Bowls. He also took home the NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in 2010.
NIL has completely changed college athletics. Players can finally profit off their accomplishments on the field and the brand they built while in college. Levels launched to help student-athletes navigate the new era.
“We are absolutely thrilled to have Mike join Levels as a Partner” Levels co-founder Justin Giangrande said in a statement. “We have recently seen the limitless opportunities of NIL for young athletes in the college and high school athlete space. It was clear to me that Mike wanted to share his knowledge and experience with our talent as our goal is to help them navigate this ever changing space properly.
“Mike wants to ensure our athletes are making the best business decisions currently while simultaneously setting them up for long-term success.”
On3 NIL valuation of Michael Vick’s new clients
Uiagalelei has amassed the most wealth and deals of Michael Vick’s new clients in the NIL era. The quarterback has partnerships with Dr. Pepper and Bojangles. On3 gives him an NIL Valuation of $420,000, which places him No. 77 in the On3 NIL 100.
Yet USC commit and high school quarterback Nelson holds a higher On3 NIL Valuation. Ranking in the top 25 of the NIL 100, he has the third-highest high school football valuation at $736,000. He also has a total social media following of 68,000.
His future teammate, Lemon, cracks the top-50 of the On3 NIL high school football rankings with a valuation of $176,000.
The On3 NIL Valuation is an index that looks to set the standard market value for both high school and college-level athletes. The NIL valuation does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date. It rather signifies an athlete’s value at a certain moment in time.
The On3 NIL 100 is the first of its kind and the defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by market valuation.