10 NCAA athletes brands should partner with in NIL era

At the beginning of July, the NCAA introduced its NIL policy which allows college athletes to monetize off their name, image and likeness as long as they abide by state laws and NCAA regulations. It was a deal athletes have long been advocating for and opens up the potential for millions of dollars worth of influencer and endorsement deals. These athletes—many of whom are building their personal brands on social media with sizeable followings—are already starting to see brand deals roll in. Unilever has launched a $5 million five-year commitment to work with a diverse group of college athletes, and brands like Barstool Sports, Boost Mobile and GoPuff are securing deals and sponsoring athletes. This new line of influencers are also selling their own clothing lines or signing up for platforms like Cameo. As brands start to navigate the new rules and how they can go about partnering with some of the new talent, Santa Monica-based influencer and social video agency Reach, which works with brands like Nestle and Clorox, compiled a list of 10 NCAA athletes brands should consider partnering with across various sports based on their social media presence. The below list not only takes into consideration influencer potential like follower count, engagement rates and quality of content—but also athletes who have interests beyond sports, the ability to become influential and those who let their audience know get to know them as people. Reach also looked at risk factors like the odds that players say or do something that would put brands on the defensive. “NIL is already proving that NCAA athletes don’t need to be marquee players or on the pro fast track to ink lucrative deals,” says Gabe Gordon, managing partner at Reach Agency. “The overall importance of connecting with these types of creators is that NIL provides brands with ready-made inroads to access more existing communities and fans with deeper, more personal and emotional ties—there’s more ways to engineer the desired audience.” Hanna and Haley Cavinder Hanna and Haley Cavinder are twin basketball players for the Fresno State Bulldogs, but they also have one of the largest social media followings among college athletes, especially on TikTok and Instagram. On TikTok the twins have 3.4 million followers, on Instagram each Cavinder has around 260,000 followers. They are also one of the few college athletes to have a YouTube presence with nearly 68,000 followers at Cavinder Twins. As soon as the NIL policy was set, the twins announced a six-month branding deal with Boost Mobile and content deals with Six Star Pro Nutrition and Go Puff. The twins have already seen a billboard in Times Square and have been profiled on ABC News, CBS, ESPN and other channels. Reach classifies the twins’ content, which centers on dances, sports, comedy and lifestyle, as family-friendly and works particularly well for brands in retail, CPG, travel and tourism and beauty categories. @cavindertwins 5,6,7,8!! #foryou #bball ♬ POOF BE GONE - KyleYouMadeThat Shareef O’Neal O’Neal is no newbie to the spotlight. The starting forward on Louisiana State University’s basketball team is the son of National Basketball Association legend Shaquille O’Neal. On Instagram, where he primarily posts updates on this basketball career, he has 2.7 million followers and on TikTok, where his content also includes comedy, dances, reactions and family updates, he has 1.5 million followers. With excellent name recognition and social reach, Reach positions O’Neal as a “rising star in the world of college athletics” and is particularly suitable for brands in categories like retail, CPG, auto and health and wellness. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Shareef O'Neal (@shareefoneal) Sedona Prince At 6 feet 7 inches, basketball player Sedona Prince is one of the tallest female players to ever play for the Oregon Ducks. Prince, who has 2.5 million followers on TikTok and 244,000 followers on Instagram, is an activist and social influencer. Prince went viral on TikTok when she revealed the disparities of the treatment NCAA female athletes saw during March Madness and also advocates for equal rights for women and the LGBTQ+ community. Prince, who posts a combination of comedy, challenges and videos of fun moments with her girlfriend, is now on Cameo and has an upcoming merch line. Reach believes her content is ripe for retail, restaurant, CPG and health and wellness brands. @sedonerrr Fit check #couple ♬ yvngxchris unrealeased drill song - yvngxchris Chloe Mitchell Mitchell is not only a volleyball player at Aquinas College, but a social media personality and entrepreneur. She is co-founder of PlayBooked, a new agency that connects college athletes to fans and brands. Mitchell, who gained popularity on TikTok for first documenting the process of creating a “She Shed,” now has 2.6 million followers, as well as 43,500 followers on Instagram. Reach says she posts family-friendly content that could fit retail, home appliances and beauty brands. @chloevmitchell FOLLOW ME ON IG at chloevmitchell!! Also, go enter in my ‼️GIVEAWAY‼️ and let me redo your room for free. #diy #sheshed #TheChallengeAllStars ♬ Driving to Hawaii - Piglet Spacey Diego Preciado Preciado, a football player at Stanford, uses his presence on TikTok, where he has 186,100 followers, and on Instagram, where he has 8,300 followers, to give advice to aspiring college athletes, share his own experience and post about his graphic design work. He is currently promoting Press Sports. Reach positions Preciasdo as ideal for technology, retail and auto brands. @itsmedaygo Kinda hurts to look at my first designs 😭 #HaventSeen #VivaCleanHacks #graphicdesign #thenvsnow #football #edits ♬ forty kal - s Kaila Novak Originally from Canada, Novak, the starting forward on UCLA's women’s soccer team, has what Reach calls a “super engaging presence” on TikTok where she is known for food reviews, dance videos and comedy content. She currently has 1.1 million TikTok followers and 103,000 followers on Instagram. In June, Novak announced a new relationship with TikTok star Olivia Ponton, who has 6.9 million followers, and they often do videos together. Novak just signed with talent agency Team Color Sound and Reach says her talents will benefit CPG, restaurant, retail and health and wellness brands. @ohkai_ WHO’S TRIED THIS?! / THOUGHTS?! ♬ Monkeys Spinning Monkeys - Kevin MacLeod Lexi Sun An outside hitter on the University of Nebraska’s volleyball team, Sun shares her volleyball career, moments of her daily life and her love of coffee among other fashion, beauty and pet content on her Instagram where she has 76,200 followers and TikTok where she has 5,700 followers. Sun is currently doing a partnership with Renathletics to create a fashion line called The Sunny Crew. Reach suggests the volleyball star would be ideal for restaurant, retail, beauty, pets and travel and tourism industries. View this post on Instagram A post shared by lexi sun (@lexiisun) Matthew Boling Boling, a track and field athlete at the University of Georgia, just missed qualifying for the Olympics, giving him great name recognition Reach says. The U20 Chamopnship gold medalist documents his running career, life updates and comedy challenges on TikTok where he has 945,800 followers and on Instagram where he has 209,000 followers. Reach suggests Boling would be great for retail and technology brand partnerships. @matthewboling Pt. 2 😂 ♬ LOVESOSA - SEVY Masai Russell University of Kentucky track and field hurdler Russell won first-team All-America in the 4x400 meter relay. She shares comedic content, dance videos, daily life updates and fashion and beauty tips to her TikTok where she has 388,400 followers. Her Instagram, where she has 151,000 followers, is more static with track and field photos and selfies. Reach says retail, beauty and health and wellness brands would work well with her engaging content. @masairussell Tag dccc ♬ original sound - Kamo Dewey Cotton Cotton, a football player for Sacramento State, tops off Reach’s list. Reach says the athlete’s charming personality comes across in his content that often plays on his unlikely height—he’s 5 feet 4 inches tall, very short for the average 6-foot college receiver. On TikTok where he has 442,900 followers, he shares comedic skits and his football journey. He also has an Instagram presence where he has 64,300 followers. Reach says he would be good for retail, technology and health and wellness brand partnerships. @mrcalfman Who is trying to get dunked on? 😂 #fyp #viral #foryou #heartoverheight #xyzbca #trending ♬ Coming In Hot - Andy Mineo & Lecrae

10 NCAA athletes brands should partner with in NIL era

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