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UPDATED: Oklahoma QB Nick Evers Sending NIL Money to Charity to 'Help Make a Difference in the World'

The Sooners' newest quarterback isn't on campus yet, but he's already pledged his first NIL deal with the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

John E. Hoover

Oklahoma’s newest quarterback hasn’t taken a snap yet. In fact, he’s not even on campus.

But in the eyes of Sooner Nation, Nick Evers just took a major step toward folk hero status.

Evers, a quarterback in OU’s 2022 recruiting class, announced Wednesday on Twitter that he’s partnering with the Make-A-Wish Foundation as his first deal within the NCAA’s new Name, Image and Likeness rules.

“We really just want to help make a difference in the world,” Evers told SI Sooners. “And I think this is the first step that I can do.”

Starting last July 1, student-athletes can now make money off their name, image and likeness. That could include autographs, endorsements, branded apparel or just about anything that fans would pay money for.

In Evers’ case, he’ll attend or arrange events, such as autograph signings or meet-and-greets, and donate all proceeds to Make-A-Wish.

“I see all these kids are going through so much,” Evers said. “I mean, they have these life-threatening diseases. And, you know, to see them have a smile on their face — even though they're going through all this stuff — because of the things that I can provide for them, and all these other athletes can provide for them, I think is really amazing.

“I really just wanted to be a part of some of these kids’ lives and just help bring them joy, because that's just something I've always wanted to do.”

Evers, a 6-foot-3, 188-pound 4-star prospect from Flower Mound, TX, included links to Make-A-Wish foundations in Oklahoma and North Texas in his tweet through which patrons can donate. In addition to the usual NIL opportunities, Evers also encouraged fans to just make a simple donation.

“We’re obviously going to take take donations,” he said, “and honestly, all my proceeds that I get through Make-A-Wish, I'm really just using my name and anything that I can do, I'm really just giving to these kids to help make a difference in their lives.

“Like I said, in my statement, 100 percent of my proceeds are going to these kids, so I'm really just trying to help in any possible way that I can.”

Within three hours, Evers’ post had more than 4,000 likes, 700 retweets and 200 replies.

Evers can still negotiate other NIL opportunities apart from this deal if he wants, but whatever money comes in earmarked for Make-A-Wish will go directly back to the charity. 

He said Make-A-Wish is an organization his parents became involved with in 2017, and he's enjoyed being around the kids ever since.

“I’ve always had like a passion of making these kids smile,” Evers said. “ … It’s always just had a place in my heart seeing these kids smile. So I just wanted to be a part of that and I thought this would be a perfect opportunity.”

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John E. Hoover
JOHN E. HOOVER

John is an award-winning journalist whose work spans five decades in Oklahoma, with multiple state, regional and national awards as a sportswriter at various newspapers. During his newspaper career, John covered the Dallas Cowboys, the Kansas City Chiefs, the Oklahoma Sooners, the Oklahoma State Cowboys, the Arkansas Razorbacks and much more. In 2016, John changed careers, migrating into radio and launching a YouTube channel, and has built a successful independent media company, DanCam Media. From there, John has written under the banners of Sporting News, Sports Illustrated, Fan Nation and a handful of local and national magazines while hosting daily sports talk radio shows in Oklahoma City, Tulsa and statewide. John has also spoken on Capitol Hill in Oklahoma City in a successful effort to put more certified athletic trainers in Oklahoma public high schools. Among the dozens of awards he has won, John most cherishes his national "Beat Writer of the Year" from the Associated Press Sports Editors, Oklahoma's "Best Sports Column" from the Society of Professional Journalists, and Two "Excellence in Sports Medicine Reporting" Awards from the National Athletic Trainers Association. John holds a bachelor's degree in Mass Communications from East Central University in Ada, OK. Born and raised in North Pole, Alaska, John played football and wrote for the school paper at Ada High School in Ada, OK. He enjoys books, movies and travel, and lives in Broken Arrow, OK, with his wife and two kids.

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