Beats by Dre Announces Second 'Beats Elite' NIL Program Athletes

Beats by Dre has jumped back into the NIL realm, announcing their second 'Beats Elite' program athletes.

Dec 2, 2022; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Southern California Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams (13) wears Beats by Dre headphones before the Pac-12 Championship against the Utah Utes at Allegiant Stadium. / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Beats by Dre is one of the biggest audio software companies in the world. They are also big when it comes to NIL dealings, as they are jumping back into the foray in the 2024 college football season.

They recently announced the formal launch of their second ‘Beats Elite’ NIL program. It will feature 11 college football players, some of whom are the biggest stars in the game.

The players will be featured in different marketing campaigns and advertisements while receiving custom Beats products to wear. 

This group will include Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, Texas wide receiver Johntay Cook II, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, Ohio State safety Caleb Downs, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel, Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava, Michigan defensive back Will Johnson, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks and Florida State quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei.

What makes the second ‘Beats Elite’ program so special is that they teamed with Learfield. By teaming with Learfield, the universities that the athletes represent can be featured on the products with official school logos and mascots.

Their teammates are also benefitting from this deal. Milroe and Uiagalelei both gifted their entire teams Beats by Dre headphones to be used throughout the season.

“We’re excited to bring back another Beats Elite class with this impressive group of athletes,” Beats CMO Chris Thorne told On3 in a statement. “College football has a special energy around it, and we look forward to being part of these young stars’ journeys this season.”

A lot went into selecting that group, with one of the factors being social media following. They combine to have over 4.2 million followers and all of them past made a post since the announcement of the deal with Beats by Dre.

The list of ‘Beats Elite’ players is a who's who among college football players. There are Heisman Trophy hopefuls, national champions and up-and-coming stars littering the list.

Beats by Dre also targeted some of the athletes with the highest valuations in college across all sports. Six of them are among the top 15; Sanders is No. 1 ($4.7 million), Milroe is No. 5 ($1.7 million), Beck is No. 9 ($1.4 million), Dart is No. 9 ($1.3 million), Gabriel is No. 14 ($1.2 million) and Iamaleava is No. 15 ($1.2 million).