WWE signs 15 student-athletes to ‘Next In line’ NIL program
The WWE unveiled the third group of college student-athletes joining its “Next In Line” NIL program on Thursday.
The new “Next In Line” class features 15 student-athletes from 14 schools, nine NCAA conferences and seven different sports. The class also represents top college programs, such as Arizona State, Arkansas, Cincinnati, Georgia, Kentucky, LSU, Oklahoma State, Penn State, Pittsburgh and Rutgers. But it also features athletes from smaller college levels, such as NCAA Division III Mary Washington.
Two-time NCAA All-American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet of Penn State, four-time NCAA national champion thrower Turner Washington of Arizona State and NCAA champion hurdler Alia Armstrong of LSU are the most decorated athletes in the class.
Furthermore, the “Next In Line” class also includes football players Nick Dawkins from Penn State, Landon Jackson from Arkansas, Cameron Jones from Cincinnati, Isaiah Iton from Rutgers and Dee Beckwith from Kentucky.
Also part of the class is Oklahoma State sprinter Tori Ortiz. Ortiz continues to be one of the best NIL success stories for female student-athletes. She has an On3 NIL Valuation of $191,000, more than 781,000 social media followers and a lengthy list of deals from others like Meta, Force Factor, Amazon Merch on Demand, Soul Runner, Gatorade and many, many others.
Another notable name as part of the class is Georgia outfielder Jaiden Fields, who is the sister of Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields. Fields is another NIL success story. She has already executed deals with NFL Sunday Ticket, Invesco, T-Mobile, C4 Energy, Chipotle and others. And this new deal has her brother fired up.
“I need you jumpin’ off the ropes goin’ crazy,” Justin Fields commented on his sister’s Instagram post announcing the WWE deal.
WWE NIL program looks to find wrestling’s next star
WWE’s “Next In Line” program has signed 46 student-athletes to NIL deals since its inception in 2021, including its first signee, Olympic wrestling gold medalist Gable Steveson.
The first class also included two of the biggest stars of NIL in Miami women’s basketball players Hanna Cavinder and Haley Cavinder. The Cavinder Twins have more than nine million followers on social media and On3 NIL Valuations of around $820,000.
WWE says the program serves to recruit and develop potential future superstars and further enhances the company’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds. WWE has signed athletes from 13 different sports including 35 members of Power-Five conferences who have collectively earned 40 NCAA All-American Honors and 12 NCAA National Championships.
According to WWE, all athlete partnerships feature access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, WWE says select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract.
The complete third WWE “Next in Line” roster:
- Abby Jacobs – South Alabama soccer
- Alexandra Jaksec – Mary Washington tennis
- Alia Armstrong – LSU track & field
- Cameron Jones – Cincinnati football
- Dee Beckwith – Kentucky football
- Greg Kerkvliet – Penn State wrestling
- Isaiah Iton – Rutgers football
- Jaiden Fields – Georgia softball
- Landon Jackson – Arkansas football
- Mady Aulbach – Youngstown State basketball
- Nick Dawkins – Penn State football
- Otoniel Badjana – Pittsburgh track & field
- Peyton Prussin – Life University wrestling
- Tori Ortiz – Oklahoma State track & field
- Turner Washington – Arizona State track & field