Duke transfer quarterback Riley Leonard signs NIL deal with Gillette
Riley Leonard is one of the most popular names in college football right now.
He was not at the Heisman Trophy ceremony. He’s not leading the Blue Devils into the College Football Playoff. But the Duke transfer is one of the most sought-after quarterbacks in the transfer portal.
Over the weekend, the quarterback signed a new NIL deal with Gillette, announcing the agreement on Instagram. It’s not the brand’s first foray into college sports, working with Deion Sanders during his days at Jackson State. The shaving equipment company also executed a few deals with Jackson State athletes.
It’s a fitting time for Leonard to ink the endorsement deal, though. Ranked as the No. 6 available quarterback in the transfer portal, according to On3, Notre Dame is the favorite to land the transfer.
In the commercial released over the weekend, Leonard stars and talks about how Gillette keeps his family looking nice and clean-shaven. He does admit, however, that not many have grown out long beards.
“Fresh, clean, and ready to go with Gillette,” he wrote on Instagram.
Latest on Riley Leonard’s portal recruitment
An ankle injury sidelined Leonard from five games this season. In 27 career games with the Blue Devils, Leonard threw for more than 4,400 yards and 24 touchdowns. Returning for another year is thought to only boost his draft stock. The quarterback visited Notre Dame this past week. The expectation is he will decide this week.
It would be a significant pickup for Notre Dame, which landed transfer Sam Hartman last offseason. A one-year stopgap, Hartman is actually the one who can grow out a beard. Auburn was in the mix for Leonard earlier in his recruitment and Ohio State has been hoping to make a pitch.
Returning for another year of college football is thought to only boost his draft stock, positioning him to be one of the top quarterbacks in the 2025 NFL draft.
Growing NIL brand
Leonard has an On3 NIL Valuation of $653,000. His valuation jumped $406,000 this past week, in large part to his value in the transfer portal. Aligning with a brand like Notre Dame would only help grow his brand value.
The valuation ranks No. 48 in college football. It is also No. 70 in the On3 NIL 100, 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 Duke transfer has more than 25,000 social media followers, which will surely continue to rise. Repped by QB Reps, he held a youth camp in Durham this past summer.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. A proprietary algorithm, the On3 NIL Valuation calculates an athlete’s NIL value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories: performance, influence and exposure.
About On3 NIL Valuation, Brand Value, Roster Value
While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.