Tag Archives: nil

CELSIUS Partners With Caleb Williams as NIL Athlete

CELSIUS fitness drink today announced its new partnership with the University of Southern California’s quarterback, Caleb WilliamsCELSIUS continues its support of collegiate athletics by partnering with athletes nationwide as part of the company’s growing Collegiate Program.

CELSIUS University, which officially launched in August 2022, has begun partnering with college athletes nationwide as part of the NCAA’s new Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) policy that allows college athletes opportunities to monetize their name. The CELSIUS Program aims to provide best-in-class consumer experiences with elite brand partners within NIL and collegiate sports. 

 “Proud to be a brand partner of CELSIUS who has been pioneering their way into college football,” said the University of California’s star quarterback. “I’m looking forward to the projects we’ll do together to support college athletes in the future and bring more visibility to NIL as a whole.”

Athletes partnering with CELSIUS are further educating their peers and audience through their social media channels, while promoting the energy drink and LIVE FIT lifestyle, the brands mantra which aims to inspire people to LIVE FIT in the world around them and in everything they do.  LIVING FIT isn’t just for the gym, it’s a mindset and a lifestyle. CELSIUS provides people with the Essential Energy they need to elevate their everyday lives and achieve their personal bests. 

Caleb’s work on and off the field truly embodies the CELSIUS “Live Fit” mentality and lifestyle.  His shared passion for supporting his community, and love for the brand is the type of partnership CELSIUS® is proud to be part of and looks forward to continuing to help empower collegiate athletics. The partnership with Caleb and CELSIUS will run for 6 months. 

Swet Tailor Partners with Reese’s Senior Bowl for 2nd Time as Official Off-The-Field Apparel Sponsor

Los Angeles-based fast-rising menswear brand Swet Tailor, the creators of EveryDay. EveryWear,™ has teamed up with the Reese’s Senior Bowl, the preeminent college football all-star game, for a second time to exclusively sponsor the off-the-field wardrobe for players, coaches and staff. In 2021, Swet Tailor was the first brand that the Senior Bowl brought on to handle all non-field related apparel in the history of the game. The category of off field apparel is expected to be a unique one for college athletes when Name, Image and Likeness comes into play in the coming years, and Swet Tailor has cemented its efforts in NIL as an ongoing business growth opportunity for the brand.

The Swet Tailor off-the-field wardrobe will include key styles such as the Swet Jogger, Swetshirt, Light Weight Swet Hoodie and Softest Tee for elite draft prospects and sport industry insiders to wear ahead of the NFL Draft in April. The brand has continued to grow its presence in recent years with evergreen styles and extended sizing, and its investor athletes include current and former NFL players, not limited to:

Aaron Rodgers, Mark Sanchez, Josh Norman. Josh Rosen, and Ryan Kerrigan. Longtime media personality Rich Eisen has also worn Swet Tailor during his annual 40 yard dash for charity at The Combine, and is a supporter of the brand as well.

“Everything we do here at the Senior Bowl is about creating a better experience for our players and that includes our partnerships,” says Jim Nagy, Executive Director of the Reese’s Senior Bowl. “Swet Tailor is an incredible emerging brand and our players absolutely loved their SWET gear last year.”

“We are honored to return as partners with Reese’s Senior Bowl because we know exactly how pivotal this game is for the student athletes,” shares Swet Tailor CEO Adam Bolden. “We are here to ensure each and every player looks and feels good as they step up to one of the biggest moments in their careers. Our wide range of styles––from our classic sizing to our High and Mighty line––is made to move with athletes, on and and off the field. We are looking forward to getting to know these talented individuals and helping them discover that style and comfort do not have to be mutually exclusive.”

Swet Tailor continues to grow its sporting event portfolio with this second official college football event sponsorship; past partnerships have included The NFL Combine, The EOD Warrior Foundation Golf Outing, and Merril Hoge Celebrity Golf Outing. The NY Jets and Detroit Lions will be the coaching staffs for the 74th annual Reese’s Senior Bowl, which will be played on Saturday February 5th 2022 at Hancock Whitney Stadium on the campus of the University of South Alabama. The game will be aired live on the NFL Network at 1:30 CT. The rosters will be announced shortly. The Swet Tailor sponsorship will span the duration of the Reese’s Senior Bowl Week, which will officially kick off Saturday, January 29th and run through Saturday, February 5.

Joe Moore Award Becomes First Post-Season College Award Platform To Launch NIL Program

The Foundation for Teamwork, owners and creators of the Joe Moore Award (@joemooreaward) which honors the most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football, today announced that it is believed to be the first post season college award program to launch a Name Image and Likeness (NIL) program for its recipients. Timing is everything and the Joe Moore Award is excited to create a partnership with nine members of the 2021 award winners, the offensive line at the University of Michigan. Michigan was awarded the trophy in a ceremony last week in Ann Arbor and will play the University of Georgia in the Orange Bowl on Dec 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

“We have seen the great amount of exposure that both winners and finalists of all the major college football awards receive throughout the years, but the actual and immediate benefit from winning the award typically goes to the presenter, not the presentee,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS college football analyst and co-founder of the Joe Moore Award. Taylor, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, played guard and tackle at the University of Notre Dame for the Award’s namesake, the legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore. “We want to begin to change that dynamic with the growth of NIL for these athletes, and the Joe Moore Award is proud to be what we believe to be the first of the major awards to begin a program which will have long-lasting benefits and a financial upside for our winners, and in many cases for the causes which will be tied to the program. On the field, we’ve always known that when the o-line wins, we all win, and we’re excited to help support Michigan’s O-line extend that same principle in our communities.”

The members of the Michigan offensive line will receive 100% of net t-shirt sales, with a portion going to a philanthropic beneficiary. Additionally the Joe Moore Award will match the players’ charitable gift, up to $10,000, to help further the reach of the winning units impact on their communities. The t-shirts and limited edition merchandise are designed by Make Your Move, an automated digital on-demand order processing and fulfillment partner and are available starting at $20.00 at gomym.com/collections/joe-moore-award.

The charity beneficiaries for the 2021 season are: The Seal Legacy Foundation which is dedicated to providing support to families of wounded and fallen United States Navy SEALs, educational assistance for SEALs and their families, and other charitable causes benefiting the SEAL community; and The AthLife Foundation, a national platform works to ensure that deserving kids from our nation’s most challenged, yet promising communities, can achieve in their future careers beyond sport.

Under offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s starting O-line has featured guard/tackle Karsen Barnhart (2 starts), guard Chuck Filiaga (4 starts), left tackle Ryan Hayes (13 starts), tackle Trente Jones (1 start), left guard Trevor Keegan (10 starts), right tackle Andrew Stueber (13 starts), center Andrew Vastardis (13 starts), and right guard Zak Zinter (11 starts). In addition, tight end Joel Honigford, a converted O-lineman, warrants mention as a key contributor to Michigan’s success.

Michigan led the Big Ten and lists 10th nationally in rushing (223.8 yards per game). The unit has conceded the fewest tackles for loss (27) and third-fewest sacks (10) in the nation this season. Only Army and Air Force, with a combined 204 pass attempts, have allowed fewer sacks. Michigan’s line has paved the way for a 1,000-yard back in Hassan Haskins (1,288 yards) and have another back in range in Blake Corum (939 yards). All five positions earned all-conference honors, with four of the five starters earning first or second-team accolades: Stueber (1st team), Hayes, Vastardis and Zinter (2nd) and Keegan (honorable mention).

The Trophy
The Joe Moore Award trophy, crafted by legendary sports sculptor Jerry McKenna, is the largest trophy in college football, weighing more than 800 pounds, is more than five feet wide and stands nearly seven feet tall. The trophy has been made available to Michigan to display on their campus until the 2022 winner is announced.

The Joe Moore Award is named after Joe Moore, widely regarded as one of the best offensive line coaches in college football history, and is the only major college football award to honor a group or unit. The award annually recognizes the nation’s Most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit that best display the fundamental and historical aspects of great offensive line play: Toughness, Effort, Teamwork, Consistency, Technique, and Finishing.

Voting Committee
The Joe Moore Award voting committee is comprised of 13 individuals who are highly knowledgeable about offensive line play, including former linemen, coaches, talent evaluators and media analysts. This group conducts in-depth analysis by reviewing game tape every week of the season to assess both the fundamentals and subtleties of overall O-line performance.

The 2021 voting committee includes Chairman Cole Cubelic (Auburn, SEC Network); Charles Arbuckle (UCLA, Indianapolis Colts); Randy Cross (UCLA, San Francisco 49ers); Gerry DiNardo (Notre Dame, head coach at LSU); Mike Golic, Jr. (Notre Dame, NFL, ESPN); Harry Hiestand (Joe Moore disciple, NFL and College O-line Coach); Barrett Jones (Alabama, St. Louis Rams); Duke Manyweather (Humboldt State, player and coach; founder of OL Masterminds); Geoff Schwartz (Oregon, Carolina Panthers); Sam Schwartzstein (Stanford, XFL rules creator); Phil Steele (publisher of Phil Steele’s College Football Preview, ESPN); Aaron Taylor (Notre Dame, Green Bay Packers, CBS Sports); and Lance Zierlein (NFL draft analyst, NFL.com and Prospects to Pros podcast, The Athletic).

Past Award Recipients
Past recipients of the Joe Moore Award include the offensive lines of the University of Alabama (2015), the University of Iowa (2016), the University of Notre Dame (2017), Oklahoma University (2018), LSU (2019), and the University of Alabama (2020 – first repeat winner).

College Sports Challenges, Uncertainty Make NIL Debate Even More Front And Center

Wikimedia Commons/Phil Roeder

We continue in unchartered waters in sports as many enter week four of the pandemic, and the college landscape remains as fluid as any. There is no shortage of opinion and conjecture, from spring sports eligibility to moving football to the 2022 are all on the table and the angst and viability of student athletes remains in flux.

Against all of that backdrop is the ongoing and vital debate about Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) and how that will factor into the business of college athletics going forward. How have things changed or adapted, and what would the opportunities be for athletes today if NIL as in place? One of the key advocates in NIL remains Zach Segal, who founded StudentPlayer.com last year as a platform to assist and recognize college athletes for their achievements on the field while tying them to brand opportunities, or in some cases, causes.  

We had some time to connect with Segal on how NIL is evolving, and how Student Player’s business platform has changed and adapted as well.

Does the opportunity for spring sports to add eligibility positively or negatively affect the NIL debate?

Any steps taken to promote fairness given these unprecedented times are good for the NIL debate. Afterall, allowing student athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness is not about giving student athletes an advantage relative to other students it is about treating them the equally! We hope that the longstanding inequity will be remedied soon!

How does a platform like student player impact a player prepping for the NFL Draft? once his eligibility end could he access funds if the system was up and running in say a year from now?

Student Player will offer sponsorship deals to student athletes when they are student athletes, but only after it is legal/permissible to do so. In our view, fans must have a voice and we give them the chance to be heard. Prospective athletes will want to know what kind of opportunities are available at each school, fans can make a difference by contributing! A player prepping for the NFL draft would still benefit from fan contributions while they are in college.

If NIL is in effect now how do you think athletes currently sidelined could use their rights for something like social good?

Yes, 100%. And we bet that many would! Today’s restrictions are essentially prohibiting that which is sad. Particularly so in a time when huge numbers of Americans (and others) are struggling to cope with Covid-19. This is just one reason why we hope school/legislatures/the NCAA won’t pause the momentum that NIL is having.

Without NIL in place this spring, have those athletes who missed March Madness suffered a loss of opportunity to capitalize on brand value? Can you think of a specific example?

Yes, March Madness shines a big spotlight on the athletes that play in it and the schools that they play for. There are missed opportunities across the board. Who would have hit a buzzer beater to help a double digit seed advance to the final four? We will never know, but that individual would have become a nationally recognized star. Who knows what would have happened next!

How do you see the debate moving in the fall when some normalcy returns; should we be looking for next steps?

We hope that it will pick up with as much momentum as it previously had. NIL is a bipartisan issue and a simple one.  In our view, the next step is for the NCAA to adopt California’s Fair Pay To Play Act. The NCAA and its member schools have long held that student athletes are “students first.” We agree! Given that, the solution is simple: treat student athletes like students. There are often mentions of “guardrails” and other safeguards, but we see all of those things as unnecessary. The goal should be to afford student athletes the same opportunities that every other student already has. Guardrails and safeguards should only be included if they are applied equally to all students (athlete or not).