NIL Deals of the Week: Harold Perkins signs with John Deere dealer, Livvy Dunne joins SI Swimsuit

On3 imageby:Pete Nakos•04/29/23•

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LSU continues to establish itself as one of the leaders in NIL.

The institution had two of the flashiest deals this past week, with linebacker Harold Perkins signing with a John Deere dealer and Sports Illustrated announced Livvy Dunne would be featured in this year’s swimsuit edition.

The state of Louisiana passed legislation last June which included a provision that NIL contracts between companies and athletes that are shared with the school shall remain private and confidential. It makes it close to impossible to find out how much these LSU athletes are making.

Their publicity rights are obviously valuable to brands, though. And Hailey Van Lith announced her transfer to the Tigers this week, too, just adding to the number of major names on the LSU women’s basketball roster.

“If I were in a student-athlete’s place, and I had some brand opportunities, I’d want to go to an institution that did everything they could to help me maximize that [brand],” LSU athletics’ chief brand officer Cody Worsham told On3 on Thursday in a phone interview.

As a reminder, feel free to submit info on your NIL deal to On3. You can send an email to [email protected] or reach out via DM or comment on Twitter to @On3NIL or @deals_nil. Direct messages are open, too, on the @On3NIL Instagram account.

Let’s get to the deals that highlighted this week in NIL.

USC’s Caleb Williams signs NIL deal with Neutrogena

USC quarterback Caleb Williams inked an endorsement deal with the cosmetic brand Neutrogena. In a post on his Instagram page Sunday, he showed off the company’s exhibit at this year’s Coachella festival.

The reigning Heisman winner walked through Neutrogena’s Skin’s Vitals Experiences during the music festival earlier this month. The exhibit reenacted layers of the skin and ended with a Neutrogena shop to combat the sun exposure, dry desert air, dust and dirt exposed by the climate at Coachella, which is held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California.

Terms of the deal were not disclosed; Williams is represented by Smith & Company. Neutrogena is not the first skincare brand to use NIL as a marketing tool. CeraVe signed 100 male athletes this winter through the agency Postgame with the hope to drive male Gen Z audience awareness.

A nominee for Male Athlete of the Year at June’s NIL Summit, Williams has emerged as a marketing star in the last 21 months. His move out to Los Angeles has paid off, signing endorsement deals with Athletic Brewing Company, Fanatics, AT&T, Beats by Dre and AC+ION Water. 

Williams’ On3 NIL Valuation of $2.6 million ranks No. 2 in college football.

LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne joins 2023 SI Swimsuit edition

Livvy Dunne is already one of the most recognizable faces in college athletics. She has a multi-year partnership as the face of Vuori Clothing. She is the most followed college athletes on social media.

And this week she signed an NIL deal with Sports Illustrated to join the company’s swimsuit edition this year.

The LSU gymnast made the announcement Thursday morning on social media. She’s one of the first college athletes to ever appear in the print. According to People Magazine, the only other college athlete to appear in SI‘s Swimsuit edition will also appear in this year’s magazine.

“Women’s sports is something that I want to support and leave my legacy on,” Dunne told People. “I want to show other athletes that you can have it all – especially women.”

Dunne has become one of the most followed college athletes in the country, too. Fans disrupted her season-opening event at Utah with chants of “We want Livvy! Give us Livvy!” while athletes were trying to complete their routines. The LSU gymnast has roughly 11.3 million loyal followers across Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

The junior at LSU has worked closely with sports agency WME Sports, crafting deals with brands like Forever 21, American Eagle Outfitters and Caktus AI. 

Dunne has a $3.5 million On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 1 in college women’s gymnastics. The valuation also ranks No. 2 in the On3 NIL 100, which is the first of its kind and defacto NIL ranking of the top 100 high school and college athletes ranked by their On3 NIL Valuation.

LSU linebacker Harold Perkins signs agreement with John Deere dealer

Harold Perkins – the former On3 Five-Star Plus+ recruit who earned freshman All-America honors at LSU – signed with Sunshine Quality Solutions, a 17-location John Deere dealer located throughout Louisiana.

Perkins played high school football at Cypress (Texas) Cy Park in the Houston area, but he is originally from Louisiana. Perkins said he was happy to partner with Sunshine Quality Solutions because of the strong local ties with the state. The partnership with the local John Deere dealer is dubbed “The Best Player in the Field” campaign.

“As a New Orleans native, I’m excited to be partnering with Sunshine Quality, a company that does so much for the community in the state of Louisiana,” Perkins said in a news release.

After his strong rookie season, Perkins is already being tabbed as one of the top 10 linebackers in college football. He finished the 2022 season with 72 tackles, 13 tackles for a loss, 7.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, an interception and three pass breakups.

 Perkins has a $613,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 47 in college football.

South Carolina signee Nyckoles Harbor inks NIL deal with Hugo Boss

Nyckoles Harbor has yet to enroll at South Carolina, but he’s had no problem finding NIL deals.  

The five-star athlete in the class of 2023 was one of the last available names in his recruiting class. The day before his commitment to the Gamecocks on February’s National Signing Day, he announced a partnership with Champs Sports. The sportswear brand would be going behind-the-scenes with Harbor for the day.

The South Carolina signee inked an endorsement deal for his senior prom with the fashion brand Hugo Boss, he announced Wednesday on his Instagram. Dressed up in a tuxedo from the brand for his dance, Harbor shared a number of pictures and released a video promoting the company. The fashion label recently launched its first NFL collection and now has signed what appears to be its first NIL deal.

“Thankful to partner with such an iconic brand for my special day,” he wrote in his Instagram post. “Are you ready to play like a Boss?”

Because Washington, D.C., allows high schoolers to monetize their publicity rights, Harbor has been able to start producing revenue off his NIL before enrolling at South Carolina. The 6-foot-5, 225-pound prospect will probably be spending most of his time at wide receiver.

Harbor has a $313,000 On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks in the top 25 of On3’s high school football NIL rankings.

Penn State commit Quinton Martin aligns with Ovation for Men

Quinton Martin has had a busy few weeks. The third-ranked athlete in the 2024 recruiting class committed to Penn State earlier this month, shutting down his recruitment.

On Thursday, he announced his first NIL deal with the fragrance company Ovation for Men. Earlier this week he signed the contract, meeting with Ovation co-founder Shawn Crenshaw. He was also was fitted for a custom suit as part of the deal.

“It was an experience to remember,” Martin told On3 earlier this week in a phone interview. “The dude Shawn was very nice dude to work with. I got to learn more about the background and the meaning of the brand. … Once he told me more about how it’s an African-American-owned brand – that’s a big deal to me.”

Martin is the highest-ranked high school football player to sign with the company. Ovation has previously worked with Michigan State defensive back Dillon Tatum and recent LSU tight end and basketball commit Trey’Dez Green.

Founded by Crenshaw, as well as Fadelf Jackson and Cecil Cross, Ovation was created to produce a fragrance celebrating the “style, creativity, and showmanship of African-American men.”

Ovation for Men is a perfume that has a blend of bergamot, cardamom, aqua, tobacco, and vetiver with hints of amber, vanilla, and leather, according to the company’s website. Through a long-term partnership, Martin will help promote the Ovation for Men Sport fragrance, which will launch this summer.

Because the state of Pennsylvania allows high schoolers to profit off their publicity rights, Martin was able to sign his first NIL deal before enrolling at Penn State. He holds a $183,000 On3 NIL Valuation.

Honorable Mention