NIL Deals of the Week: Sam Hartman signs with Mizzen+Main, Penn State players land Teslas

Nakos updated headshotby:Pete Nakos•12/22/22•

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Countless athletes across the country have benefitted from NIL. Now they’re giving back.

Florida gymnast Trinity Thomas and track athlete Talitha Diggs used their profits to buy presents last week for children at UF Health Shands Hospital. Georgia offensive lineman Micah Morris purchased over 100 Christmas presents to support families from the Boys and Girls Club of Athens.

Brock Bowers and Malaki Starks partnered with Dick’s Sporting Goods and Associated Credit Union to take 16 kids Christmas shopping. Stetson Bennett followed suit, tapping into his previous relationship with Onward Reserve to take 10 kids shopping.

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.

Sam Hartman signs with menswear brand Mizzen+Main

Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman is in the holiday spirit.

The redshirt junior posted an Instagram ad with the menswear brand Mizzen+Main this week. As part of the agreement, the brand is letting Hartman gift presents to 20 of his teammates. It’s a generous offer from the brand and lets the quarterback thank his teammates ahead of Wake Forest’s Friday night Gasparilla Bowl game against Mizzou.

Vayner Sports facilitated the deal and represents Hartman. The quarterback has built a solid catalog of NIL deals, participating in activations with Wahl Grooming, Candy Digital and Bojangles.

Hartman was sidelined from the season opener after he underwent surgery for a non-football injury. He returned for the Vanderbilt game, however, finishing the season with a 63.1% completion percentage with 35 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

He has yet to announce if he will leave for the NFL or enter the Transfer Portal, but he did announce at the end of November he would not be returning to Wake Forest for a sixth season.

The quarterback holds an On3 NIL Valuation of $772,000. The evaluation ranks No. 45 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. The valuation also ranks No. 24 in college football.

Penn State quartet land Teslas in new partnership

Since the inception of NIL in 2021, there’s been plenty of car agreements signed. It’s arguably the most popular deal seen across the landscape in the last 18 months. Athletes can easily promote the car dealership on social media or in a commercial, then walk away with the keys to a car.

Obviously, they only have the car for anywhere from six to 12 months. But having a free set of wheels in a college town is a major win.

York, Pennsylvania-based construction company Inch & Co. announced deals with four Penn State football players this week. Drew Allar, Abdul Carter, Olu Fashanu and Kalen King will all be driving in Teslas as part of the deal.

But there’s one caveat. Each car has the company’s logo on the side of the car. It’s an innovative move and sure to grab attention as the four recognizable athletes drive the vehicles around State College. At the very least, Inch & Co. will see a strong return on investment through brand awareness.

“This isn’t just an advertising opportunity, it’s an investment opportunity,” said Cambria Bailey, Marketing Director of Inch & Co., in a press release from the company.

Kansas stars sign with local Wendy’s franchise owners

Mass Strategies continues to deliver NIL opportunities for Kansas athletes. One of the most established and successful NIL collectives in the country, the organization facilitated agreements between five athletes and the Legacy Restaurant Group, which owns and operates Wendy’s franchises in Kansas and Missouri.

Legacy Restaurant Group’s owners Felix Tollinche and Kirk Williams were early movers in the NIL space, helping KU student-athletes develop and monetize their personal brands with the nationally recognized Wendy’s brand. Now they’ve partnered with a new group of Jayhawks.

Volleyball player Caroline Bien, quarterback Jalon Daniels, point guard Dajuan Harris, guard Holly Kersgieter and forward Jalen Wilson have all signed with the restaurant group.

On top of the activations, the Legacy Restaurant Group and Wendy’s are now the presenting sponsors of the newly launched Mass St.’s Women’s 100 Club. The funds raised through this initiative will go directly to support NIL activities for KU women student-athletes. The exclusive club requires a contribution of $5,000 per year with funds raised used exclusively for NIL activities for female student-athletes at KU.

Michigan stars appear in new NIL commercial ahead of College Football Playoff

The Mike Morse Law Firm has returned to the NIL space.

Michigan’s Mike Morris, Olusegun Oluwatimi, Trevor Keegan, Kris Jenkins and Junior Colson all signed endorsement deals with the law firm. As part of the agreement, the five Wolverines are appearing in TV commercials, along with social media posts and billboards across the Detroit metropolitan area. The commercials launch just ahead of Michigan’s College Football Playoff matchup against TCU.

Law firms have continued to emerge as some of the largest investors in NIL. Gordon McKernan Injury Attorneys has become the go-to funder for LSU athletes. And Morgan & Morgan, the nation’s largest injury firm, signed 10 members of the Kentucky basketball team.

Morse is just the latest name to join the movement. The Michigan-based law firm signed Mike Morris back in November and the results led to the second commercial campaign.

“The response to our initial NIL partnership with Mike Morris has been overwhelming, so the idea to expand upon it was a no-brainer,” Morse said in a statement to On3. “We’re thrilled to support these incredible, student-athletes and work with them on unique ways to promote the Mike Morse Law Firm brand.”

Honorable Mention