Ten NIL: Name Image Likeness Deals Signed by NCAA Wrestlers. (2021 Edition)
It seems like businesses have been waiting far too long to use NCAA athletes in their marketing campaigns. Shortly after announcing NIL laws allowing athletes to capitalize on their name image and likeness brands from WWE to Barstool shared their interest in signing college wrestling stars. This article is a list of 10 NIL deals already signed by returning NCAA D1 wrestlers.
1. Roman Bravo Young
Penn State 133lb starter & 2021 National Champions signs his first year long deal becoming the first Wings Over athlete. The athlete has over 100k followers on Instagram alone. And what better fit than a wrestler and a fast food chain?
2. Spencer Lee
Iowa Hawkeyes 125lb star and two time NCAA National Champion has inked several deals including Barstool Sports, Ironside Apparel, and MGC Sports Agency. His forthcoming project with the Rudis brand for their Rudis+ platform is on the watch list.
3. Yianni Diakomihalis
Cornell 141lb starter and multiple time NCAA National Champion. Yianni has been a standout at Cornell University since he arrived taking a national title as a Freshman. Its no surprise he signed with Spartan X Apparel. A brand associated with the schools RTC sponsor.
4. A.J. Ferrari
The true freshman NCAA National Champion for Oklahoma State shocked everyone when he took the crown at light heavy weight (197lbs). It is no shock that brands are already interested in signing him. Ferrari recently announced an exclusive apparel line with wrestling merchandiser NearFall Apparel.
5. David Carr
Iowa State’s 157lb NCAA National Champion is also sponsored by Spartan X Apparel. Smart of Spartan X to sponsor athletes at other schools. Naturally winning national titles gets you attention to sign with brands and we expect many more from Carr. Spartan X is looking to become a staple for wrestlers beyond Ithica.
6. Myles Amine
Olympic Bronze medalist for San Marino and 4X NCAA All American (4th, 3rd, 3rd, 3rd) for Michigan University. Myles Amine has recently announced his partnership with Cliff Keen a homegrown brand by Michigan alums. This partnership doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone but the limited edition apparel is highly anticipated.
7. Gable Steveson
Olympic Champion and NCAA Heavyweight champion for the University of Minnesota. Gable was named after a legendary wrestler and it’s been long in his cards to be a legend in this sport. Both Steveson and the WWE teased his signing with the organization until it was finally announced. This deal is a first for the WWE and will allow Steveson to defend his NCAA title.
8. Alex Marinelli
Another University of Iowa Hawkeye on our list Alex Marinelli is a 3x All American at 165lbs. Nicknamed “The Bull" he has formed an appropriate partnership with local car dealership Deery Ram of Iowa City, Iowa. The on-line sponsorship provided The Bull with a top notch Ram.
9. John Poznanski
Rutgers University 184lber became an NCAA All American (4th place) as a freshman. He is already inking deals starting with local brand Le Grand Coffee House. Le Grand is founded by a Rutgers alum so it’s a good partnership for a business to give back to their rising collegiate stars.
10. Gary Traub
A former heavyweight starter for the Ohio State Buckeyes, Traub has headed west to Oregon State. Known as Gas Tank Gary he has leveraged his personal brand to sign with wrestling merchandiser Barbarian Apparel.
As you can see collegiate wrestlers add value to brands across scales. From large globally known media corporations to local coffee shops these partnerships are all exciting. They allow wrestlers and the wrestling community to slowly but surely create unexpected value for businesses. This is a new age of commerce for our sport. As athletes and brands both test the waters we expect a higher volume of deals. We are still in an early stage where companies are wondering just how impactful their investments will be. Athletes are also learning about building personal brands to make the partnership possible. The wrestling community at large is getting better at content creation. The future looks promising as the small efforts add up.
If you know other athletes that have signed interesting NIL deals with please reach out wrestlingunite [at] gmail.com We will do a follow up article at some point in the future.
