This year’s collegiate stars are amassing unprecedented figures in terms of NIL earnings. And around the NCAA, Colorado emerges at the top of this list, with Shedeur Sanders boasting $5.1 million in NIL valuation. Wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter closely follows with a valuation of $3.1 million.
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The Colorado signal-caller recently became the first college football player to enter into a NIL deal with Nike. Just like his father, Deion ‘Coach Prime’ Sanders, Shedeur will now be a part of the collaboration with the sports and apparel brand.
The quarterback shared the announcement post on his Instagram with his signature watch photograph along with a note that said, “You know what time it is.”
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Last month, Shedeur signed another NIL deal with Beats by Dre along with 10 other athletes for the Beats Elite campaign. 5430 Alliance also became the official NIL collective for Colorado athletes in March of this year.
However, the star quarterback has been making big bucks since 2021, having entered into deals with brands like Gatorade and Mercedes Benz, and even has his own barbecue sauce!
Shedeur is also the long-term ambassador of Tom Brady’s apparel brand. In 2022, Shedeur became the face of BRADY™ and shared his excitement at being in collaboration with the Patriots legend.
“Tom Brady is a person that I look up to and I really adore,” he said via WWD. “He’s one of those people that’s just really down to earth, so with every deal and everything that I’m doing with my own brand, we like doing things that are real and that are genuine, so it’s a perfect fit — being able to have the opportunity to get this deal done and to be able to represent their company like that is really amazing.”
That said, while Shedeur has some of the biggest brand deals under his belt, Hunter isn’t far behind and is associated with an array of labels himself!
Hunter’s enticing NIL deals
EA Sports, Jlab, Rock ‘Em Socks, United Airlines, and Celsius Fitness Drinks are just some of the brands the Colorado wide receiver has entered into brand deals with.
Hunter even got his own print through Leaf Metal Anime Nation earlier this year. In addition, he’s a part of the Athlete Advisory Council of FreeForm Sports and had thigh pads bearing his initials that were selling for $60.
In 2023, the two-way star became a part of the ‘Cleat Crew’ program, signing a deal with 7-Eleven to create custom cleats. Just like Shedeur, Hunter is also associated with a former Super Bowl champion, Michael Strahan. The athlete became the first ambassador for the lifestyle brand and expressed his gratitude for the achievement back in 2022.
“It means a lot,” Hunter said via Forbes. “It really inspires me to do more of the things he’s [Michael Strahan] doing for his brand and his community. … He’s really at the top of what he does. He’s one of the top people you want to work with. He can teach you a lot about what he does.”
The endorsement deals go a long way in adding up to the NIL valuation for athletes. Ever since the NIL earning became legitimized, the collegiate players are reaping the rightful benefits, gaining financial security even before entering the big league. It’s no wonder players are sticking around in college for an extra year or two.
