Shedeur Sanders Part of Nike’s First NIL Deal

Shedeur Sanders is undoubtedly following in his father’s footsteps ⎯both on the field and off.

Aside from his role as quarterback (QB) for the Colorado Buffaloes, Sanders has built up quite a reputation as an NIL star. Like his father, Deion, the 22-year-old is securing one Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal after another. This time, it’s with popular athletic apparel that his dad happened to have partnered with almost 30 years ago.

Last week, Sanders announced his newest NIL deal with Nike. 

“Now it’s a family business,” he captioned the post, hinting at his father’s past with the company.

His dad also took to Instagram to celebrate his son in the comments.

“He ain’t got next he’s got NOW!,” he wrote.

Can the Colorado QB live up to his dad’s work with the brand?

When Deion was partnered with Nike, he released the Nike Air Diamond Turfs (DTs) to represent his success on both the football and baseball fields. In June, he released a new and improved version named the Air Max DT ’96 Black Varsity Maizes. 

Now, to celebrate the signing of his son to the brand, Nike released another version of the DTs in “Vegas Gold.” 

Because of the big moves his father has made with the business, many fans are eager to see what the Colorado QB plans to do with the brand.

In an episode of Sanders’ podcast, “2 Legendary,” Deion Sanders Jr. asked the Colorado QB if he would want to make his own cleats or build off of his father’s shoe.

“I would want to build on it,” the Colorado QB said. “I want to build on it… have like a different version…I feel like it’s more … like now, just looking at life and looking at everything, it’s more about generational. It’s more about what could be passed down year after year after year after year rather than everybody starting to think they’re a whole new wave … because there’s no real substance behind it.”

“Everything that’s great has to have a story behind it,” he continued. “Every great player has to have a story behind it. So, I feel like when it comes to design or anything like that, it always has to have a great story behind it.”

Athletic brands in the age of NIL

Sanders’ deal marks the first time Nike has signed with a college athlete, so they must have seen something special in Sanders. Interestingly, the company waited until now to get in on the opportunity as NIL has been around since 2021.

Other popular athletic apparel brands have signed plenty of athletes. Former Notre Dame QB Sam Hartman signed with Under Armour before the 2023 season. Shortly after, former Washington Huskies QB Michael Penix Jr. and wide receiver Rome Odunze partnered with Adidas.

It’s also ironic that Nike chose Sanders as the first since he used to only sport one of Nike’s biggest competitors.

Before Sanders was the starting QB at Colorado, he played at Jackson State where his dad was also his coach. Sometime between his original and revamped deal with Nike, though, Deion entered a longtime partnership with Under Armour. 

So, when Sanders arrived at Jackson State, all of the team’s merchandise switched from Nike to Under Armour so Sanders could keep his word as one of the brand’s representatives, HBCU Gameday reports.

Now, it appears his contract with Under Armour is up, so both he and his son are endorsing Nike. It will be interesting to see if the family sticks with Nike or moves on to another athletic apparel in the next few years.

Victoria Jonach is an aspiring writer and media analyst fascinated by the activities players participate in off the football field. Growing up in New Jersey, she is a New York Giants fan and attends Rutgers University, pursuing a career in Journalism and Media Studies. She writes for FirstRoundMock.com covering anticipated draft picks and their acts of volunteerism, entrepreneurship, and other interests that shape these individuals.