Softball Collegiate Player of the Year NiJaree Canady Signs Record-Breaking NIL Deal

NIL deals continue to keep increasing in value as the best collegiate softball player has signed a record-breaking deal while announcing her transfer.

Jun 2, 2024; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Stanford Cardinals starting pitcher NiJaree Canady (24) points to her catcher after striking out a UCLA Bruins batter in the fourth inning during a Women's College World Series softball losers bracket elimination game at Devon Park / Brett Rojo-USA TODAY Sports

The marketplace of Name, Image, and Likeness continues to expand across all sports at the collegiate level. There was an estimate that the growth of this space was going to exponentially rise over the next few years, providing more opportunities for athletes to capitalize financially while having amateur status.

For those who don't have a direct pathway to professional sports, this is a great way for them to generate wealth for themselves and their families while competing at the collegiate level.

Many of the NIL headlines go to revenue generating sports like college football and men's college basketball, but the continued increase in money getting poured into the marketplace has allowed others to benefit by being recognizable figures.

Livvy Dunne and the Cavinder Twins come to mind as social media presences who have used their marketability to cash in on NIL opportunities, but the growing popularity of women's athletics has also seen a rise in deals signed with collectives and different brands.

On Wednesday, things were taken to the next level.

2024 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year NiJaree Canady has reportedly signed a one-year, $1,050,024 deal with Texas Tech's Matador Club collective after announcing her transfer to that program per The Athletic.

After entering the transfer portal on July 17, multiple teams around the country were vying to land the former Stanford pitcher.

These past two years have been amazing and I thank @StanfordSball for the ride of a lifetime. Excited for what’s ahead! @TexasTechSB pic.twitter.com/C017QT51Gp

— NiJaree Canady (@CanadyNijaree) July 24, 2024

Canady has been a force during her two seasons at Stanford, posting an ERA of 0.67 with 555 strikeouts across 365.2 innings pitched, leading the Cardinal to consecutive Women's College World Series appearances.

"It's a game-changer for softball, and even beyond that. She could have gone anywhere, but she's coming to Tech," co-founder of the Matador Club, John Sellers, said.

According to The Athletic, the highest NIL deal for a softball pitcher was $175,000 before this deal was signed.

Stanford was in the running to keep their superstar as Canady's decision came down to staying with the program she committed to out of high school or transferring to Texas Tech.

The Cardinal didn't go down without a fight, reportedly offering her a six-figure deal of their own that would have made her the highest-paid women's athlete in school history according to Eli Lederman of ESPN, but ultimately she was swayed by the vision of the Red Raiders' new head coach Gerry Glasco and the opportunity to sign a groundbreaking NIL deal.

"I could never have imagined this. But I feel like we need to invest in women's sports. We saw it with women's basketball this year: You invest in women's sports and women's basketball just blew up on a national stage. I think the same thing has happened with softball ... If I'm even a little part of that, that's my whole dream," Canady told ESPN.

There will be a lot of expectations placed upon her after signing this type of deal, but if she lives up to it and potentially delivers Texas Tech a championship, then that could bring more money into the sport of softball for players around the country.