Kentucky OL Tashawn Manning releases 'The Flop' NIL apparel
The NCAA’s NIL era has seen athletes commemorate impressive moments and games with apparel through NIL deals, such as Tennessee wide receiver Jalin Hyatt‘s “Gimme 5” apparel after he had five touchdown receptions against Alabama. Kentucky offensive lineman Tashawn Manning released his own line of apparel Wednesday through a NIL deal with the company Kentucky Branded. However, it was in honor of his flop in last Saturday’s game against Mississippi State, which the Wildcats won 27-17.
After Mississippi State safety Collin Duncan appeared to punch Manning in the face mask with one hand, then give a light push with the other, the 6-foot-4, 335-pound Manning threw up both hands, jerked his head back and dramatically fell to the ground. You can watch the flop here.
The best part for Manning and Kentucky?
Mississippi State received a 15-yard penalty following a Kentucky rush for no gain on 2nd-and-9, giving the Wildcats a fresh set of downs.
Athlete Advantage, an agency that represents Kentucky players including quarterback Will Levis, announced on Twitter the release of Manning’s line of apparel, titled “The Flop.” A graphic that Athlete Advantage tweeted said Manning created the custom designs.
The designs show three images of Manning, each of which captures him at a different point as he falls.
The t-shirts are available for $30, long-sleeve shirts cost $35 and hoodies are $50.
“We will never forget the vicious attack on Tashawn Manning this past weekend,” Kentucky Branded tweeted. “His strength & perseverance has inspired us to continue cheering on the blue what white!”
Manning has previously released other apparel, plus a coffee mug, through Kentucky Branded.
Tashawn Manning’s On3 NIL Valuation
Manning has an On3 NIL Valuation of $197,000, which ranks No. 227 among college football players. He has roughly 21,000 combined followers on his Instagram, TikTok and Twitter accounts.
The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard NIL market value for high school and college athletes. It utilizes a proprietary algorithm that calculates an athlete’s NIL market value using dynamic data points targeting three primary categories, including an athlete’s performance, influence and exposure.
While the algorithm includes data from completed NIL deals, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals an athlete has completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for the athlete’s entire career. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects an athlete’s market value for up to 12 months into the future.
As shown by “The Flop” apparel, Athlete Advantage can help Manning capitalize on his NIL opportunities. Over the summer, Levis told On3 about the impact Athlete Advantage has had on his NIL opportunities.
“They were able to help a couple of players the season I decided not to do anything NIL-related and when I saw the success they had with them, I really trusted their ability to represent me,” he said. “They’ve done a really, really good job with me.”