LSU's Will Campbell signs NIL deal with John Deere dealer
When Sunshine Quality Solutions went looking for its next NIL athlete, Will Campbell was a no-brainer.
The LSU left tackle grew up on a farm in Monroe, Louisiana. The John Deere dealer wanted to find someone who knew how a farm operated and the type of machinery the agriculture manufacturer produced.
Campbell is a perfect fit.
He signed an agreement with Sunshine Quality, which services southern Louisiana and Mississippi. The NIL deal was facilitated by the Ballengee Group. The left tackle is one of three freshmen who started on the line for the Tigers last season. A Freshman All-American and All-SEC winner, he played nearly 900 snaps and missed just one game.
Now a rising sophomore, he earned Preseason All-American honors. Campbell will be promoting Sunshine Quality and John Deere throughout the season.
“Campbell has an agricultural background and grew up on a farm in Louisiana,” Sunshine marketing manager Grace Vest said. “He understands the hard work it takes to be in a field all day, and that is something we want to showcase in Louisiana. Tying our John Deere equipment to players on one of Louisiana’s favorite fields, Tiger Stadium, is a unique way to connect our brand to football.”
The 17-location John Deere dealer previously partnered with LSU linebacker Harold Perkins in April. The former On3 Five-Star Plus+ recruit headlined the company’s “The Best Player in the Field” campaign.
Starting experience will be key in Year 2 at LSU
A former four-star recruit, Campbell will be protecting Jayden Daniels for the second consecutive year. The LSU rushing attack finished No. 41 in the nation last year, producing 2,574 yards and averaging 4.98 yards per carry. The Tigers allowed 45 sacks, however, which finished No. 116 in the country.
Campbell’s best friend, quarterback Walker Howard, transferred to Ole Miss in January. The left tackle opted to stay in Baton Rouge, and he will enter the fall with a full year of experience inside the LSU program.
“Well, I think you gotta start with the two tackles, the two freshmen tackles,” LSU head coach Brian Kelly said in May. “Both from the state of Louisiana, Campbell and [Emery] Jones. We threw them into the fire last year and knew were going to have to take our lumps a little bit. And we did. They are, I think, poised to have great seasons. Both of them have been outstanding in terms of their work ethic, learning the position.”
Will Campbell’s growing NIL portfolio
The left tackle announced a partnership with the LSU-driven collective Bayou Traditions in March. His agreement with Sunshine Quality Solutions marks his second publicly announced NIL deal. With more than a month until college football season begins, he could be a notable target for Louisiana-based brands.
Campbell also has nearly 30,000 social media followers. His On3 NIL Valuation of $600,000 ranks No. 54 in the college football NIL rankings. It is also No. 70 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 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. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.