Paige Bueckers headlines second edition of Team Dunkin' NIL campaign
UConn women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers and 16 other student-athletes across the country have joined Team Dunkin’ in a new NIL deal through a collaboration with Learfield.
The NIL campaign was negotiated by Dunkin’ in partnership with Wasserman, who will also assist in managing the execution of the agreement. It’s the second edition of Team Dunkin’, and according to Learfield, players involved in the partnership will engage fans through a series of social posts and in-person appearances.
Bueckers, who has an On3 NIL Valuation of $646,000, is the headliner of the Team Dunkin’. But this season’s roster showcases 17 student-athletes across six sports and includes 13 new faces and four returning stars from last year’s program.
The campaign also integrates Dunkin’ sponsorships at 16 colleges and universities where Learfield serves as the athletics multimedia rightsholder, enabling the use of official university marks and logos by participating athletes.
“I’m honored to be partnering with Dunkin’ to connect with fans and to support our communities through a brand we all know and love,” Bueckers said in a news release.
As a headliner for this season’s Team Dunkin’ roster, Bueckers’ collaboration led to a $25,000 contribution from Dunkin’ to UConn’s Husky Harvest food pantries. This initiative, in partnership with Connecticut Foodshare, aims to address food insecurity throughout the university community.
Who else made Team Dunkin’?
Along with Bueckers, this season’s Team Dunkin’ roster includes:
- Jonas Aidoo – Tennessee basketball
- Armando Bacot – North Carolina basketball
- Kenadi Brown – New Hampshire gymnastics
- Devin Carter – Providence basketball
- Donovan Clingan – UConn basketball
- Matt Cross – UMass basketball
- Devyn Flaherty – Florida State softball
- Rayvon Griffith – Cincinnati basketball
- Sam Hagerty – Rhode Island soccer
- Raven Johnson – South Carolina basketball
- Riley McCusker – Florida gymnastics
- Nick Singleton – Penn State football
- Malaki Starks – Georgia football
- JJ Starling – Syracuse basketball
- Emma Utterback – Vermont basketball
- Riley White – Alabama track & field
Bacot, who has an On3 NIL Valuation of $661,000, is one of the returners to Team Dunkin’. He said the brand has been a part of his life since he was a child.
“Returning to Team Dunkin’ this season means more than just repping a brand that I love as the season tips off – it’s about showing the energy that Dunkin’ represents on and off the court,” he said in the release. “Running on Dunkin’ fuels my drive to excel and empowers me to make a difference every step of the way.”
Singleton and Starks are two other well-known names on the roster. Singleton, a sophomore, is a former five-star recruit who already owns multiple Penn State records. His On3 NIL Valuation is $230,000. Starks was tabbed as a preseason first-team All-America, and his On3 NIL Valuation is $477,000. When multiple outlets rolled out their midseason All-American teams these last few weeks, Starks has been on them.
A few other well-known names on the team, include McCusker and White. White has one of the largest social media brands in college sports with more than 735,000 followers and an On3 NIL Valuation of $145,000. McCusker is an All-American on the uneven bars. She has more than 168,000 followers and a valuation of $99,000.
While Learfield does not represent student-athletes in sponsored deals, the company provides its multimedia rights school partners, and national and local brands, access to comprehensive NIL solutions through its Allied Initiative.