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Miami Star Ward Smells Like Heisman Finalist in New NIL Deal

Hurricanes' quarterback Cam Ward promotes Giorgio Armani Beauty cologne.

Michael Ehrlich

Nov 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks for a passing option against the Duke Blue Devils during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Nov 2, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward (1) looks for a passing option against the Duke Blue Devils during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
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Fresh off another jaw-dropping performance - 400 yards and five touchdowns - while leading Miami to a 53-31 comeback victory over Duke on Saturday, Heisman Trophy frontrunner Cam Ward has added a new NIL partnership to his growing portfolio. The Hurricane star is now a brand ambassador for Giorgio Armani Beauty, promoting the brand's Aqua Di Gio cologne. 

9-0 on the season and ranked No. 4, the Hurricanes are poised to make their first College Football Playoff, while Ward is all but a lock for New York City as a Heisman finalist. As his on-field profile continues to grow in his first season at Miami, his NIL opportunities expand.

Ward announced his latest partnership - in a coordinated effort through NIL agency Postgame - via an Instagram reel where he states "Look good, play good. Smell good, play good" in promoting Armani's cologne.

Postgame's campaign with Armani featured over 250 college athletes throughout the month of October, highlighting social media content promoting the fresh Aqua Di Gio scent and Armani's bolder Strong With You Intensely scent.

"The Armani strategy of involving a curated list of nationally known college athletes along with hundreds of regionally relevant names, was an extremely effective way to reach Gen-Z at scale through social media," said Bill Jula, CEO & Co-Founder of Postgame. "The athletes really enjoyed stepping up their game and producing quality content for the brand, resulting in significant visibility among their fans and followers."

A week ago, Ward added Adidas to his brand roster, joining fellow quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Brock Purdy, Tua Tagovailoa, Trevor Lawrence and Michael Penix Jr. wearing the three stripes. Penix Jr. and former Washington teammate Rome Odunze became the brand’s first football student-athlete partners. Now, Ward is Adidas' face of college football, until he turns pro in the Spring.

Ward leads the country in touchdown passes - while second is passing yards - and has already tied Steve Walsh (1988) for the most passing touchdowns in a season at Miami. His NIL portfolio currently features the likes of Adidas, Bose, C4 Energy and the Canes Connection collective, among others.

Ward and Hurricanes next visit Georgia Tech on November 9.

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Michael Ehrlich
MICHAEL EHRLICH

Michael Ehrlich is a seasoned sports marketing executive with experience across the global sports brand, athlete representation, media and education sides of the business. The Founder and CEO of Playbook Marketing, Ehrlich consults with brands on all things NIL and athlete partnerships, advises student-athletes on their personal brand building endeavors and is an adjunct professor at his alma mater, the University of Southern California where he teaches a course on athlete communications and marketing. As a writer, his previous bylines include Boardroom, Business of College Sports, DIME Magazine and UPROXX, among others. You can follow him across social media at @MichaelEhrlich and reach out via michael@playbook-marketing.com

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