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HBCU graduates Terry Comer and Khalil Thompson have secured new funding for their work in the NIL space. In 2021, the pair, who had an interest in college sports, united to launch NIL FanBox, marketed as the only “university-approved, player-endorsed recurring collectibles platform.” It works by sending sports fans 100% authenticated collectibles from their favorite college athletes. Its website mentions that the curated box includes three to five signed collectibles, a “Golden Ticket,” exclusive player merchandise, and digital authentication. One of its partnerships, with The University of Texas at Austin, resulted in the Longhorn FanBox, which is valued at $199 each football season and energizes fans by including “ultra-rare” collectibles and “behind the moment” interviews. Photo Credit: NIL FanBox While NIL FanBox certainly benefits fans, it also supports athletes by allocating a portion of its revenue back to them. NIL FanBox returns more than 30% of its revenue to participating...
College basketball coach Leonard Hamilton is being sued for allegedly defrauding several players. According to Yahoo! Sports, former Florida State University (FSU) basketball players Darin Green Jr., Josh Nickelberry, Primo Spears, Cam’Ron Fletcher, De’Ante Green, and Jalen Warley have filed a lawsuit against their former coach. The players claim Hamilton owed them $1.5 million in total through name, image, and likeness (NIL) payments. They say he made promises of payments starting in April 2023, when he held a meeting and allegedly told the players they would receive compensation of $250,000 each. The money was expected to be disbursed by March 2024, but the players claim those funds never materialized even though he continued to assure them that they would be paid. “Every player on the 2023-24 FSU men’s basketball team roster relied on the promises that Hamilton made when they either decided to transfer to FSU or remain enrolled at FSU and play out the season,” the suit said, per...
Travis Hunter has a string of victories to celebrate. In December 2024, Hunter was awarded the 2024 Heisman Trophy and became only the second two-way player to receive the honor, following Charles Woodson in 1997, according to the NFL. The award is given to an athlete who is considered the most outstanding player in college football. “First, I want to say I thank God, man I never thought I woulda been in this position,” Hunter said during his acceptance speech. Lil Wayne was also present to celebrate Hunter’s achievement. Hunter revealed he would often play the rapper’s music during pregames and expressed his gratitude. “I’m really appreciative of it, Wayne. You don’t know how you came in, came into our life, man. My fiance loves you. I didn’t know none of your songs until she let me know ’cause I don’t listen to music,” Hunter explained. “She told me you got to listen to this. If you don’t listen to music listen to Wayne, and from that day on that’s all I listen to.” He also told...
The future is bright for top high school prospect Anicet “AJ” Dybantsa Jr. The No. 1 recruit in the class of 2025, AJ Dybantsa has already caught the attention of NBA great Kevin Durant , who is impressed by his skill set and has no doubt he will one day be drafted into the NBA. “I got to know him two summers ago between his sophomore and junior year in high school. He came to work out with us. I was impressed by his size and fluidity as a player, his ballhandling. He was shooting jump shots well. He’s got the body type to become a pro in this league for 20 years. It is good to be around him. He has a lot of energy, too,” Durant told Andscape. While there appears to be a foreseeable path towards the pros, Dybantsa will first be taking his talents to college. According to The Athletic, he has committed to Brigham Young University (BYU) located in Provo, UT. He also is the school’s first 5-star recruit, notes KUTV 2 News in Salt Lake City. View this post on Instagram A post shared by...
Travis Hunter has been quietly paying it forward to his University of Colorado Boulder teammates. The 2024 Heisman Trophy Award recipient and Colorado Buffaloes football star has been raking in various name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals, most recently signing a multi-year deal with adidas, as AFROTECH™ previously reported. View this post on Instagram A post shared by adidas Football (@adidasfballus) “Working with adidas is a special opportunity for me and something that I’m really excited about as I look ahead to what’s next,” Hunter said, according to Sports Illustrated. “The partners they currently have are top tier with some of the best young guys like me. I’m pumped to join the three stripes as we continue pushing the boundaries of the sport we all love.” Aaron Seabron, general manager, U.S. Sports & Creation Center Portland (Oregon) at adidas, commented: “…We’re proud to partner with someone whose passion for sport and drive to create impact on and off the field mirrors our...
It’s Travis Hunter’s winning season. The University of Colorado Boulder football player took home the 2024 Defensive Player of the Year award for the Buffaloes on Dec. 5, 2024. What’s more, he is rumored to be the top choice for the Heisman Trophy and is expected to be among the top prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, Sports Illustrated reports. Multi-Year Deal Adidas Deal Hunter’s latest win includes signing a multi-year NIL deal with adidas, which will extend into his NFL career, notes Boardroom. The athlete has been seen sporting the apparel line on his podcast, Twitch channel, and during pregame warm-ups. View this post on Instagram A post shared by adidas Football (@adidasfballus) “Working with adidas is a special opportunity for me and something that I’m really excited about as I look ahead to what’s next,” Hunter expressed, per another Sports Illustrated report. “The partners they currently have are top tier with some of the best young guys like me. I’m pumped to join the three...
WNBA star Angel Reese has exceeded the expectations of her former agents. During a panel discussion at ComplexCon 2024, Nov. 16-17, in Las Vegas, NV, the Chicago Sky player looked back on the discouraging advice she received from her former agents, who had low expectations for her success with name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals. “I used to be with an agency, and I’m not with the agency anymore,” the 22-year-old explained on the panel, moderated by Speedy Morman , according to Complex. “And initially when I was with the agency, that specific agency told me I was never going to make over $2,000. … And that was when NIL first started.” Reese would prove those agents wrong. She has secured a slew of NIL deals with companies that include: Wingstop McDonald’s Raising Cane’s Amazon Sonic Bose Banter by Piercing Pagoda TurboTax Xfinity JanSport Outback Steakhouse In April 2024, her NIL valuation had reached $1.8 million, notes The Street. Reese is now working with new agents, Jeanine...
Two-time Super Bowl champion Terrell Davis is taking the lessons of his past and educating the next generation of athletes. The San Diego, CA-native was once a student-athlete, playing for Long Beach State University in California before transferring to the University of Georgia after Long Beach’s football program was shut down. In 1995, Davis’ talents would bring him to the bright lights of the NFL field, with him being drafted by the Denver Broncos. The team signed him under a three-year contract valued at $484,000, which included a $38,000 signing bonus, mentioned Spotrac. Early Financial Mishaps He recalled having no prior financial education when he entered the league, but he had a realization about money management through veteran teammate Simon Raynard Fletcher who one day was driving him to a nearby hotel following training camp. “I noticed on the passenger side of his car when I got in, it was a bunch of envelopes and there was a bunch of checks,” Davis told AFROTECH™. “I...
College football quarterback Shedeur Sanders still remains at the top of name, image, and likeness (NIL) earners. As AFROTECH™ previously reported, Shedeur was listed at the top of the 2023 college football season, with an approximate $3.8 million valuation. This was also the highest NIL valuation at the time. In 2024, not much has changed. Shedeur — who now plays for the University of Colorado and is being led by his father and head coach Deion Sanders — has a NIL valuation that has soared to an estimated $5.1 million , according to the latest data from On3. He is joined by his teammate, Travis Hunter, who is ranked third with an estimated $3.1 million valuation. View this post on Instagram A post shared by On3 NIL (@on3nil) Signing To Nike The news follows just weeks after Shedeur made history as the first college football player to sign an NIL deal with Nike. His presence within the athletic apparel giant is now a family affair, as his father is also signed to a deal with the...
College football player Travis Hunter has made wise financial decision with his latest name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. NerdWallet Wide receiver for the Colorado Buffaloes, Hunter will now be working with finance platform NerdWallet, joining USC basketball superstar JuJu Watkins, Sports Illustrated reported. He is the first football athlete on their roster. The conditions for signing an NIL deal with NerdWallet include stipulations that the athlete must fulfill a smart money action and release publicly the terms of their contract. Hunter was given three smart money options and he moved forward with the plan to place 20% of his earnings into a savings account. “Preparation is the key to success both on and off the field, and I’m excited to plan for a strong financial future with the help of NerdWallet,” the NCAA athlete said in a statement. “The opportunity to earn and be smarter with managing my NIL money in the right bank account while playing football was too good to pass...
Shedeur Sanders follows in his father’s footsteps by signing a deal with Nike. Deion Sanders, the head football coach at the University of Colorado , first signed to Nike in the 1990s and the partnership led to his own signature shoes, reports CBS Sports. Deion would later part ways with the shoe retailer, cementing a long-term partnership with Under Armour. In 2023, he made a comeback to Nike, paving the way for a fresh collection of footwear, such as a new version of the “Varsity Maize” Nike Air DT Max ’96, Complex mentions. View this post on Instagram A post shared by @COACHPRIME (@deionsanders) Deion’s legacy at Nike will now also include his son Shedeur, who has cemented a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. He becomes the first college football player to sign with Nike, according to Andscape. Per On3, Shedeur current NIL valuation is said to be $4.7 million. “Now it’s a family business,” a shared statement reads via Instagram. View this post on Instagram A post shared by...
Rolanda Brandon has filed a lawsuit due to North Carolina’s NIL restrictions. She is the mother of Faizon Brandon, a quarterback at Grimsley High School and the nationa’s top-ranked recruit in the 2026 class, according to ABC11. The high school player intends to play for the University of Tennessee upon graduating in the fall of 2025, which he affirmed through a verbal commitment, per CBS Sports. The journey toward higher learning is often met with great excitement for athletes and name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals have further energized the sports arena for both college and some high school students. However, this may not have been the case for Faizon. The Athletic Narrative states that while high school students can engage in NIL deals, the eligibility is subject to state laws and the specific rules of their schools or sports teams. Rolanda is now suing the state of North Carolina due to the barriers around NIL deals, The Charlotte Observer reports. This has prevented Faizon...
Josh Petty has received a significant name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal that was hard to pass up. Petty is an offensive lineman from Fellowship Christian School in Roswell, GA, and was a No. 8 prospect for Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech), according to data released by 247Sports. Committing To Georgia Tech Announced on Aug. 12, 2024, Petty plans to take his football talents to Georgia Tech in Atlanta, GA, with an official commitment. For the school, this reportedly becomes its second-highest ranking recruit ever, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. “Georgia Tech is feeling like home and is my home,” Petty expressed, per the outlet. “They’ve got guys over there that make it feel authentic. They’ve got everything over there that’s been amazing. Staying in Atlanta is huge. It’ll definitely help with that feeling-at-home piece, but the friendly faces and the smiles and everything that goes on inside that building is more important to me as far as the home factor.”...
NiJaree Canady’s new beginnings are also being rewarded. The former Stanford Cardinal softball ace pitcher is heading to Texas Tech’s Red Raiders team next spring, per The Athletic. Canady is the 2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year and has led her team to consecutive appearances in the Women’s College Series in 2023 and 2024, ESPN notes. She upheld a 0.67 ERA (earned run average) with 555 strikeouts in 365⅔ innings during her initial two years with the Stanford Cardinal softball team. Canady took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to confirm her transition to the Texas Tech Red Raiders team. “These past two years have been amazing and I thank @StanfordSball for the ride of a lifetime. Excited for what’s ahead! @TexasTechSB,” she wrote on X. Canady has also cemented a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal. She reportedly signed a one-year deal valued at $1.1 million with Texas Tech’s collective Matador Club, a source familiar with the deal confirmed to The Athletic. “I could...
Former University of South Carolina (USC) basketball player B.J. Mack has made his father’s entrepreneurial dreams a reality. According to the USC student newspaper The Daily Gamecock, his father, Brian, had once owned and operated a barbershop years ago that was centered around his interest in basketball. However, Brian was displaced from the business after 26 years because of highway construction in the area. B.J., who was raised in the barbershop, wanted to restore his father’s vision, NBC’s WCNC in Charlotte, NC, reports. “I’m a sports and entertainment management major, so … I came to them with the idea of, ‘Hey, since I know you really want to do a barbershop, you’ve been talking about it for pretty much 20 years of my life, why not be able to help you out with it?'” B.J. explained, per WCNC. On June 29, 2024, House of Hoops Barbershop launched near downtown Charlotte, and it led a charity shoe drive for the community at its grand opening. What’s more, the venture was...