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MLS Club Sporting KC Reveals 2025 NIL Class

Two-time MLS Cup winner signs NIL agreements with seven local college student-athletes

Michael Ehrlich

Oct 12, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) makes a catch and runs for a touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second quarter at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2024; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Iowa State Cyclones wide receiver Jaylin Noel (13) makes a catch and runs for a touchdown against the West Virginia Mountaineers during the second quarter at Mountaineer Field at Milan Puskar Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-Imagn Images / Ben Queen-Imagn Images

Major League Soccer club Sporting Kansas City continues to be a NIL leader in US-based professional soccer, but adding new members to their Sporting U NIL Program. The latest iteration of the marketing campaign includes NIL agreements with seven local NCAA Division I student-athletes.

The two-time MLS Cup winners have resigned five athletes who were members of the activation's inaugural class during the 2023-2024 school year - Blake Craig of Missouri football, Jericho Frigon of Kansas State soccer, Keegan Good of Missouri soccer, Hallie Klanke of Kansas soccer and Jaylin Noel of Iowa State football- and have added two new members in Arkansas baseball player Kendall Diggs and Nebraska volleyball player Skyler Pierce.

Sporting U NIL Athletes receive a financial stipend for social media engagement, tickets to Sporting KC home matches and merchandise from SportingStyle. Additional opportunities include assistance with strategic marketing and brand building campaigns plus professional development resources, mentorship and networking connections.

Diggs attended St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Overland Park, Kansas and was an All-SEC Second Team selection as a sophomore in 2023, finishing with 12 home runs and a team-best 63 RBIs. He had another strong campaign as a junior this past spring, hitting seven home runs with 34 RBIs and just two errors in 53 starts as a right fielder.

Pierce, a freshman for volleyball powerhouse Nebraska, attended Olathe Northwest High School where she was one of the country's top recruits. She was the MetroKC Volleyball Player of the Year as a junior in 2022, a 6A All-State First Team honoree as a senior in 2023, and a two-time Sunflower League Player of the Year. She was also part of the U.S. U21 National Team that finished sixth at the 2023 FIVB U21 World Championships in Mexico.

Sporting KC's Sporting U NIL Program is one of two major initiatives tailored to college students. TheSporting U Pass provides students with an .edu email address the opportunity to support Sporting KC with $15 single-match tickets and discounted $240 season tickets in the Supporters’ Stand at Children’s Mercy Park. New in 2025, the Sporting U Pass Season Ticket Membership will include a free one-year membership to the KC Cauldron, an invitation to a career development panel with Sporting KC executives, and additional benefits.

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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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