Nike is making a bigger push into the NIL space, and the SEC is all over this latest wave.
On Wednesday, the company announced it had added 11 prep prospects and 8 college football players to its NIL roster, with six of the college names coming from SEC programs. The group includes Ole Miss’s Trinidad Chambliss and Kewan Lacy, Texas’s Cam Coleman and Colin Simmons, LSU’s Trey’Dez Green and Vanderbilt’s Jared Curtis.
Nike also pointed to a cluster of prep signees already tied to SEC schools: Jaxon Dollar of Georgia, Elijah Haven of Alabama, Peyton Houston of LSU, Myson Johnson-Cook of Auburn, Neimann Lawrence of Texas and Gabriel Osborne Jr. of Oklahoma.
“Nike’s football roster has always been defined by the athletes who are shaping where the game goes next,” Nike’s Ann Miller said in a press release on Wednesday. “These signings reflect our commitment to serving the best football talent at every level with the support, innovation and partnership they need to reach their full potential on the field and away from the game.”
The college group Nike listed also includes Ohio State WR Chris Henry Jr. and Oregon QB Dante Moore, along with the SEC names already announced.
According to Nike, the deal gives the athletes support in media and specialized products, while also helping build both their personal brands and Nike’s. The company said the move continues “an unparalleled commitment to supporting the next generation of rising talent.”
This latest batch joins a long list of former SEC standouts already on Nike’s football roster, including Ja’Marr Chase, Jayden Daniels, Derrick Henry, Jerry Jeudy, Bryce Young and Malik Nabers.
In Other News...
Vanderbilt May Finally Have The Safeties To Change Everything
Vanderbilts defense has spent enough time searching for stability in the back end that the safety room now looks like one of the more promising places on the roster. CJ Heard is moving into a bigger leadership role after a full season of being asked to handle heavy responsibility, and the Commodores also have added a transfer with proven ball skills who should give the secondary a different kind of edge.
For a program trying to make its defense more disruptive, that mix matters. Heards next step is not just about being steady, but about becoming more vocal and more impactful, while the new faces around him give Vanderbilt a chance to play with more confidence and range on the back end. The question now is whether that experience can translate into the kind of playmaking that changes games instead of just keeping them manageable. [Read more 🡒]