Ducks secure success in recent NIL landscape

In recent years, name, image, and likeness deals have been a major force behind decision-making at all levels, providing collegiate athletes with an avenue for self-promotion.

The NIL revolution resulted from college athletes having to reinvent their lives and market themselves as professionals without receiving any of the benefits that institutions do. It now serves as a means for the athletes to witness some of the results of their labors to project a favorable image of their school.

Oregon, among other states, has been at the forefront of the NIL revolution due to its close ties to Nike and large number of philanthropic alumni. Their mission is to give Oregon’s athletes the best possible opportunities to capitalize on their reputation and navigate specific aspects of the professional world prior to their arrival. As they advance in their professional careers, many of these athletes continue to collaborate with alumni-run companies.

They accomplish this through a collective, which is an organization dedicated to helping university athletes get sponsors and promoting the athletes’ platforms. It is typically run by alumni or former athletes.

In 2021, Phil Knight, a co-founder of Nike, and a few Oregon alumni established a collective known as Division Street. The mission of Division Street, an alliance of some of the top brains in sports marketing, sponsorship, and business, is to enable Oregon’s athletes to do more with their NIL.

They achieved this, among other things, by launching their clothing line, Ducks of a Feather.

Oregon athletes model for Ducks of a Feather, a clothing brand that allows participating athletes to make money off of products they help design and model. Bo Nix, the quarterback, Jamal Hill, the inside linebacker, and even head coach Dan Lanning are among those involved.

Ducks Rising is another collective that was started by Oregon alumni. Ducks Rising, an athlete-funded subscription service founded by Andrew Parmentier, allows fans to pay for access to exclusive athlete interviews and conversation opportunities. All proceeds go toward supporting NIL deals.

The athletes receive the great majority of the profits from the collective because they use this platform to offer them NIL contracts and charitable opportunities.

A large portion of the football team, including Nix, Jeffrey Bassa, Tez Johnson, Patrick Herbert, Jackson Powers-Johnson, and others, are involved with Ducks Rising.

Four of Oregon’s players are listed in On3’s NIL 100 rankings, demonstrating the state’s depth and diversity in the NIL landscape. With a $1.5 million valuation, Nix is ranked No. 8; Bucky Irving is ranked No. 31 with a $862,000 valuation; Ajani Cornelius is ranked No. 69 with a $659,000 valuation; and Troy Franklin is ranked No. 80 with a $631,000.

A promotion run by Jacksons Food Stores, a chain of convenience stores with 58 locations throughout the state, featured a large number of Oregonians. In collaboration with Oregon football, Jacksons created officially sanctioned trading cards that showcased Ducks football players. For every ten packs, they also included numbered and autographed cards.

Nine of the top college football players in the country are part of the “Cleat Crew,” a partnership that Nix launched with 7-Eleven. Every player has collaborated with upscale shoe designer The Shoe Surgeon to create a pair of cleats that will be auctioned off at different times, with the winnings going to the player’s preferred charity.

Nix made the choice to donate his earnings to the Sacred Heart hospital in Eugene, which is run by PeaceHealth. Additionally, he partnered with Kendall Auto Group, whose endorsers include Justin Herbert and Marcus Mariota, two former Oregon quarterbacks. According to On3, Nix works exclusively with the Eugene branch and receives a brand-new Toyota SUV in exchange.

The standout quarterback also signed agreements with Candy Digital, Bose, Bojangles, and Subway.

Whether or not a player is a star, Oregon has emerged as one of the best venues for them to make a name for themselves and get paid for the daily labor they do for the school. It will be interesting to watch how Ducks continue to use the school’s platform to help promote their own image, as many people are still unfamiliar with the NIL landscape.