LSU Football Standout Partners with Pickle Brand SuckerPunch to Launch Hydration Drink

LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith and Kentucky commit Cutter Boley are first athletes to endorse pickle brand's new venture.

It's been 23 years since the famous "Pickle Juice Game" NFL season opener between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys, when then-Philadelphia Coach Andy Reid's squad chugged the green beverage on the sidelines to combat the 100-plus degree temperature in Texas to dominate America's Team 41-14.

Since then, studies have shown hydration benefits and athletes across all sports have sporadically turned to pickles to solve their on-field cramping issues.

Leading pickle brand SuckerPunch - maker of gourmet dill pickles, blood mary and margarita mixers and pickle pouch snack packs - has officially entered the football arena through their first two NIL partnerships.

The Bridgeview, Illinois-based brand announced deals this week with LSU defensive tackle Maason Smith and 2024 Kentucky quarterback commit Cutter Boley of Lexington Christian Academy (Lexington, KY.) to promote SuckerPunch Hydration.

"I have yet to see many athletes endorse pickle juice, so I was excited to have the opportunity to partner with SuckerPunch," Smith shared. "Especially given that it keeps me hydrated and refreshed pre and post-workout, it was the right fit. The team over at SuckerPunch has been in my corner, and having the chance to work with them on an NIL campaign was something that I could not pass up."

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"I always drank pickle juice at the little league baseball park when I was young, and my brother and I even tried to make pickle juice shots at home with little condiment cups," added Boley. "So after learning that SuckerPunch is something I've always enjoyed, and that it also helps me perform on the field, it was a no brainer for me."

The new brand extension of SuckerPunch plans to focus on the hydration market with their two ounce shooters that combine calcium, magnesium and potassium to help athletes replenish electrolytes and eliminate cramping. An easy sell, especially for two future SEC rivals in Smith and Boley.

"As SuckerPunch enters the hydration space with our electrolyte-enhanced pickle juice, we have begun working with young athletes who embody our values," Brian Schmucker, Co-Owner, SuckerPunch shared in a statement. 

"Maason Smith and Cutter Boley are ideal SuckerPunch athletes. Maason demonstrated loyalty to his home state when he committed to LSU as a top recruit out of high school, and he showed an admirable fighting spirit following his knee injury in 2022. Cutter's leadership abilities, academic accomplishments, and work ethic are impressive, but his commitment to philanthropy has truly set him apart. We look forward to supporting and partnering these young men as they continue to live our shared values on and off the field."

Smith will be extra hydrated this weekend as the #13 Tigers visit #8 Alabama on Saturday at 7:45PM ET on CBS.