Hawaii Rainbow Warriors Athletes Sign NIL Deal With Major Airline Company

A major airline company has agreed to an NIL deal with several Hawaii Rainbow Warrior athletes.

Oct 26, 2024; Honolulu, Hawaii, USA; Hawaii Rainbow Warriors quarterback Brayden Schager (13) reacts after making his fourth touchdown of the game during the fourth quarter of a game against the Nevada Wolfpack at the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex. / Marco Garcia-Imagn Images

Alaska Airlines recently announced some major news, as they merged with Hawaii Airlines. Looking to strengthen that connection even more, they are jumping into the world of NIL with Hawaii Rainbow Warriors athletes.

It was revealed that six athletes, Brayden Schager and Jonah Panoke of the football team, Kate Lang and Tayli Ikenaga of the women’s volleyball squad, men’s volleyball player Tread Rosenthal and women’s basketball team member Lily Wahinekapu, are all working with the airline now.

They are going to be brand ambassadors and talk about their experiences traveling. Growth of community initiatives is also a goal of this partnership, as the goal is to promote all of the hard work being done in Alaska and Hawaii.

“We are all very excited and grateful to partner with Alaska Airlines and to be part of their growing presence in Hawaii,” Lang said, via Michael Tsai of Spectrum Local News. “Both Alaska and Hawaiian have established strong reputations of giving back and supporting many community initiatives in Hawaii, and it’s an honor to be able to represent the combined organization during this historic time.”

There were no specifics given about the terms of the agreement between the student-athletes and the airline. However, there are expected to be some travel benefits for the players on both Alaska and Hawaii Airlines.

While this is the first time that Alaska is jumping into the NIL sphere, it isn’t a foreign space for Hawaii. Their airline has previously worked with 30 University of Hawaii athletes since such deals were allowed.

“Alaska Airlines is honored to build upon Hawaiian Airlines’ strong support of UH Athletics and our local student athletes,” said Daniel Chun, Alaska’s regional vice president in Hawaii. “Both Alaska and Hawaiian look forward to working with these extraordinary individuals and for more partnership opportunities in the years ahead.”

Schager, the team’s starting quarterback, leads the Mountain West Conference in completions (233), attempts (403), touchdowns (19) and interceptions (13) in 2024. His 13 picks are the most in the country.

Panoke is one of his leading receivers. He has caught 28 passes for 301 yards and three touchdowns.

Lang and Ikenaga have helped lead the women’s volleyball team to an 18-8 overall record and 12-4 in the conference. They are currently in a three-way tie atop the Big West with Cal Poly and UC Davis.

As a spring sport, Rosenthal and the men’s volleyball team went 23-7 last season overall.

Wahinekapu and the women’s basketball team are off to a 1-1 start. She is averaging 4.0 points, 1.5 rebounds, 1.0 assists and 1.0 steals in 17 minutes per game.