Colorado's Travis Hunter adds NIL deal with WaterLand Co.

On3 imageby:Pete Nakos05/11/23

PeteNakos_

Travis Hunter has long documented his love for fishing on his social media channels.

Now the Colorado cornerback is finding NIL deals centered around his hobby. Hunter announced a partnership Thursday afternoon with WaterLand Co. on Instagram. Known for its premium polarized fishing sunglasses, the former On3 Five-Star Plus+ prospect is seen with a fish in his hands while wearing the sunglasses.

The tinted glasses provide fishers the capability to see underwater objects without noticing the water. According to the website, the action of a fish swimming over a bed beneath a tree can be seen thanks to product. Known for its ambassadorship programs with Bassmaster Elite Series members, the company has now expanded to college football.

“On the football field and on the water, our guy Travis Hunter gets the job done,” WaterLand wrote in the Instagram caption.

Hunter stunned the recruiting world when he flipped from Florida State to Jackson State on National Signing Day in December 2021. He has since followed Coach Prime from the HBCU to the Pac-12.

In his first season of college football this past fall, he tallied 19 tackles with two interceptions and eight pass breakups. He had a touchdown catch and played cornerback in Colorado’s spring game, showing that Deion Sanders plans to play him on both sides of the ball.

Travis Hunter’s growing NIL brand

The former No. 2 recruit in the country has found plenty of NIL success. He signed a multi-year deal with digital banking platform Greenwood back in July. Since then he has aligned with brands like Celsius Drink, the Michael Strahan BrandActively Black and SoHoodie.

Hunter used his commitment to Colorado as a moment to leverage his YouTube following, too. Back in February, he said he would make his commitment known when he reached 100,000 YouTube followers. He now has more than 150,000 subscribers, showing the test obviously worked.

The Colorado cornerback has a $1.7 million On3 NIL Valuation, which ranks No. 3 in college football. The valuation is No. 5 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.

Along with his substantial YouTube following, Travis Hunter has also built up a major social media with roughly 1.3 million followers. He’s been able to build a brand that also doesn’t just revolve around his on-field play but provides an inside look at his personal life.