Michigan WR A.J. Henning signs NIL deal with Chicago White Sox
Marking the second time an MLB organization has launched an NIL initiative, the Chicago White Sox have signed eight collegiate student-athletes who hail from Illinois, including Michigan Wolverines football junior wide receiver A.J. Henning.
The program is called ‘ChiSox’ and will “provide the new White Sox ambassadors with branding opportunities, financial incentives for social media promotion, access to professional resources within the organization’s front office and personalized career mentorship,” per Sports Business Journal.
The eight athletes signed one-year agreements and will be paid equally.
The Michigan wideout has a big social media presence, headlined by his more than 353,000 followers on TikTok, where he posts funny and inspirational videos and behind-the-scenes content. He has over 72,000 followers on Instagram and north of 12,000 on Twitter.
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The White Sox hope to reach a younger audience through the student athletes who are part of the program. Henning and the other athletes will post about the White Sox and the partnership on their social media accounts.
“We don’t have any expectations that this is going to turn into X number of dollars of ticket sales or anything along those lines,” Chief Revenue & Marketing Officer Brooks Boyer told Sports Business Journal. “But all of these student-athletes are really cool. And if they think the White Sox are cool, their followers will hopefully think that the White Sox are cool, too.”
The Michigan receiver will partake in a professional photoshoot in Chicago, receive a custom White Sox jersey and other merchandise, have the opportunity to visit the ball park and potentially throw out a first pitch.
Additionally, the White Sox are offering all college athletes two complimentary upper-level tickets to select games during the rest of this season.
Henning’s On3 NIL valuation is $194,000, which ranks 225th among all college football players. On3’s NIL Valuation takes into account social media presence, athletic performance and endorsements and collectives. It’s not a projection or how much an athlete will make, but rather a snapshot of their value at a particular moment in time.
Henning has 437,000 total followers across the three aforementioned social media platforms and a projected per-post value of $1,600.
The Michigan receiver also has a deal with Outback Steakhouse.
Last season at Michigan, Henning caught 10 passes for 79 yards and added nine rushes for 162 yards and two scores. He was named a third-team All-Big Ten performer as a return man, bringing back seven kicks for 177 yards and one touchdown and 29 punts for 274 yards.
