South Carolina Athletes Joins Popular NIL Partner in Off The Field Interview

Some of the top athletes with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Milaysia Fulwiley and LaNorris Sellers sit down with Under Armour in part of a podcast series getting to know the player in a special way.

Chris Day/The Commercial Appeal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Some of the top student-athletes for the South Carolina Gamecocks were on full display with their NIL partners this week. 

On Monday, Under Armour released a podcast interview on its YouTube page spotlighting some of the Gamecocks' athletes. The series is called "Under The Numbers: Protect this Pod" and is hosted by Bria Janelle. In the second episode, Janelle is joined by South Carolina’s quarterback LaNorris Sellers and Gamecocks women’s basketball guard MiLaysia Fulwiley.

The interview tried to get a good idea of what type of player the two athletes were on and off the playing surface. The host discussed the recruiting process, their off-time preparation, and more topics for ways to learn more about who they are once they are off the field or court. 

After winning the National Championship as a freshman, Fulwiley has become one of the most popular NIL Athletes in women's college basketball. According to On3 Women's NIL 100, MiLaysia is 23rd on the list. 

She has also gone on to sign a lucrative deal with Curry Brand, a part of Under Armour earlier this year. The deal made her the First Collegiate Athlete to join the brand. 

Per the deal with the brand, “Fulwiley will wear Curry Brand footwear on the court throughout the remainder of her college career at the University of South Carolina. Off the court, she will be a brand ambassador, expanding the Curry Brand’s reach and commitment to change the game for good across the collegiate and women’s basketball landscape.”

During the podcast, host Bria Janelle asked the sophomore athlete why she decided to sign with the brand.

I think a lot had to do with me playing in the Under Armour circuit … and I just like how they represented not only the boys but the girls as well and how they appreciated and just showed that they wanted to make it a better environment.”

“Steph,  he's an amazing person, and playing on team Curry just had a lot to do with that as well, and I just like Curry, and I just like Under Armour, and I feel like it's a great brand, and why not want to wear it every day it's something that I would want to wear every day.”

During the rest of the interview, Fulwiley went in-depth on why she chose to play with the Gamecocks. She discussed how head coach Dawn Staley had a huge impact on her decision and, of course, being a local athlete as well. According to the 2023 national champion, she has had an unofficial offer from Coach Staley since the seventh grade. 

“As I grew and got older, I started to look into other schools because I felt like that was what I was supposed to do. You know, I just wanted to experience the regular High School recruiting lifestyle for high schoolers, so I went to a few visits, and I just realized that home is where I wanted to be and wanted to pursue my goals.” 

Although Fulwiley has already accomplished a lot in her collegiate career, she has big expectations for her second year with the program. 

“My goal probably individually is probably SEC Player of the Year.”

Fulwiley will begin her sophomore season with coach Staley and the rest of the Gamecocks on Monday, November 4th, when they play in the Hall of Fame Series in  Las Vegas against the Michigan Wolverines. As expected, South Carolins is ranked number one in the preseason polls.