Big brands to small businesses jump in to strike deals with Georgia athletes

ATHENS – Kelee Ringo’s photo is still plastered on a billboard on Atlanta Highway for “Take 5 Oil Change.” The national championship hero from the 2021 season became a coveted NIL pitchman after his interception return for a touchdown sealed the victory.

“NIL is a huge thing that’s changed a good amount of college football,” Ringo, now getting ready for the NFL draft, said before last season. “The best way to get those opportunities is definitely to play good on the field.”

Companies jumped aboard the UGA train when the world of NIL ramped up in college athletics just as the Bulldog football team was on the march to what turned out to be back-to-back national titles.

Inside NIL at UGA: The numbers behind athletes' deals and teams that are thriving

What businesses have NIL endorsements with UGA athletes?

From big brands like Allstate, Skippy Peanut Butter, AARP, Belk, Door Dash and Kroger, to sports entities like the Atlanta Motor Speedway and the Atlanta Braves, to local organizations like the Clarke County Mentor Program, the Dodge County Recreation Department, Oconee Parks and Recreation, Monroe Church of God, and local restaurants Maepole, Pauley’s Crepe Bar, NFA Burger and Your Pie all got in on the action.

There were 243 companies, organizations and even individuals who made NIL deals with Georgia athletes in the first school year of NIL. In nearly seven months of this school year, the number was 124, according to information obtained in a settlement agreement between the Athens Banner-Herald and the University of Georgia Athletic Association to a lawsuit filed by ABH in 2021.

The school did not disclose which athletes had deals with which companies, but athletes have promoted their deals on social media and companies have announced partnerships.

Softball’s Jaiden Fields’ had deals with Chipotle, WWE, Kotex and Whistle media company.

Track star Matthew Boling’s deals include ones with Dunkin, Nike, Merrell footwear, Epic Games and Phillips Norelco.

A closer look at UGA football players' NIL deals

Football offensive tackle Broderick Jones, projected to be a first-round NFL draft pick next month, said he made “a decent amount, it wasn’t too crazy,” from NIL.

One deal he had was with Duck’s Dugout. He attended autograph signings including with teammates Darnell Washington, Nolan Smith and Arik Gilbert.

“I wasn’t in the NIL for real like that,” he said Saturday. “I was just trying to be the best football player I could be. I really didn’t look at NIL for a chance to make profit, but we had teammates who did.”

Coach Kirby Smart said in July 2022 that tight end Brock Bowers was the highest paid tight end nationally with NIL. Jordan Davis may have been the highest paid defensive lineman and Ringo was probably one of the highest paid cornerbacks.

“They took care of us like Darnell and Jalen (Carter) and Kendall (Milton), Brock, they shared some NIL deals with us and gave us a little bit of apparel here and there,” Jones said. “Kendall got us Beats. It's a good deal for us as a collective unit.”

Quarterback Stetson Bennett, who led the Bulldogs to back-to-back national titles, was projected to earn close to $1 million through his NIL deals, according to ESM, his marketing agency. Bennett had NIL partnerships with companies including Georgia Power, Onward Reserve, Synovus Bank, the Georgia Dairy Alliance, and Raising Cane’s.

“I think it’s a good thing,” Bennett said. “I think if you take care of your business the right way then you get paid. If you don’t, then it takes care of itself. It’s an economy. It’s free market. I think at least at Georgia, and that’s all I’ve seen, I think we’ve done a really good job… of keeping the main thing the main thing, but doing it in the way like, hey, if we don’t play well, we’re not going to get paid.”

Bowers’ deals included with Morgan & Morgan injury law film, Associated Credit Union, Dick’s Sporting Goods and Zaxby’s chicken.

“I was way more happy to see other players take advantage of NIL than myself,” safety Chris Smith said. “That was the culture built at the University of Georgia. A lot of people felt NIL was going to cause other players to hate on other players but it wasn’t like that at UGA at all. When you see other people taking advantage of opportunities whether it’s having a camp, taking the opportunity to go into the community, you’re always happy to see that at the end of the day.”

Ringo did a meet and greet at a downtown Athens sports apparel store for DawgPost. Other media companies/websites that had NIL deals with Georgia players included Dawg Sports Live, Dawgnation, Extra Points, the JBoy Show and the Saturday in Athens podcast.

One company with an NIL deal in the first year of NIL was Sarchione Auto Gallery, a Canton Ohio luxury auto dealer. That company told Cleveland.com it shipped a vehicle to defensive tackle Jalen Carter. He was arrested last week for racing and reckless driving after police said on Jan. 15 he raced Georgia recruiting staffer Chandler LeCroy who was killed along with offensive lineman Devin Willock in a crash.

Boling, a 2022 All-American in the 60 and 200 meters, long jump and 4X400 relay, works with Excel Sports Management to manage his NIL deals. He recently made a donation to Clarke Central High School to upgrade athletic equipment.

"Personally, I think NIL is a positive step forward for college athletes like myself because it allows us to benefit from our hard work and talent while still being able to focus on our education and athletic goals," Boling said. "NIL has also allowed me to give back to the community by giving some of my earnings to middle and high school athletic programs who need the resources. ”

Seven-Six apparel lists football players Ladd McConkey and Jalon Walker on their website for having their own collection.

The Georgia baseball roster had a deal with Pink Zebra Moving. The entire women’s basketball team did an NIL arrangement with Conditioned Air Systems based in Gainesville.

Doug Magnus, Conditioned Air Systems president and founder, said via email: “The girls were getting no support and we felt like we could help and the benefits for CAS would be determined later. “

Football tight end Oscar Delp posted on his Instagram account to his more than 23,000 followers that they should turn to Brandon Dial, “Augusta’s hometown attorney,” and listed his phone number.

“Dawg Nation deserves the very best whether it’s on the field or in the courtroom,” Delp’s post said. “Make the right play.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Georgia athletes, businesses struck NIL deals for variety of brands