Top College Athletes Star in New Raising Cane's Campaign

Ohio State, Oregon, LSU and USC athletes model chicken finger chain's new apparel collaboration with Sportiqe.

Sept. 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins (1) runs the football during the first half of an NCAA Division I football game against the Marshall Thundering Herd at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

NIL mainstay Raising Cane's continues to diversify their college athlete roster and activation strategies. From National Championship-winning athletes surprising customers at restaurant locations to a New York Fashion Week apparel launch in Times Square, Todd Graves' chicken finger brand always seems to show up in new ways at the most important sports and culture moments.

Now to support a new apparel collaboration with Sportiqe, Raising Cane's has brought in four big-name athletes to model the lifestyle gear. Joining the brand in this Fall campaign are Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins, USC volleyball outside hitter Ally Batenhorst, LSU guard Trace Young and Oregon guard Deja Kelly.

Featuring a college-inspired collection of jackets, sweaters, hats and accessories, the Raising Cane's x Sportiqe apparel is a fit for any fan, regardless of team affiliation. The new roster of athletes came together in Dallas recently for a full content shoot - including photos and videos - to support the collection.

Quinshon Judkins, Ally Batenhorst, Trace Young, Deja Kelly / Raising Cane’s

Batenhorst - who transferred to USC after an illustrious career at Nebraska - is a long-time Cane's fan, so this campaign was an easy fit for the volleyball star and aspiring model.

"First off, I really love Cane's," she shared with Sports Illustrated. "They had a really cool angle where they partnered with Sportiqe and this shoot was all about fashion and style. This wasn't just your average commercial. They had a special wardrobe for each of us and it was very collegiate syle and cool. They had a really professional photographer and I think it was just a lot more fun and different than typical NIL deals where it's just you in a t-shirt representing a brand."

Batenhorst boasts more than 300,000 followers across her TikTok and Instagram and has previously partnered with the likes of New Era, VKTRY and Olipop, among others and was a nominee for Athlete Creator of The Year by the NIL Summit.

She, Judkins, Kelly and Young are among the most followed athletes in their respective sports and expert content creators.

"Cane's brought together four athletes from different sports and different parts of the country, who are prominent, all have a following and are pretty creative with their content," she added. "Obviously Cane's is growing a lot - and I'm from Texas and have grown up around the brand - so getting back to Texas for this shoot with the other athletes as awesome."

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Raising Cane's unveiled the collection and their new partners via an Instagram post highlighting each athlete and the Sportiqe apparel in behind the scenes content from their recent shoot.

The Raising Cane's x Sportiqe apparel collection is available now at RaisingCanes.com.

Batenhorst and No. 21 ranked USC volleyball squad host No. 3 Penn State over the weekend in Los Angeles while - in the top college football game of the weekend - Judkins and No. 4 Ohio State visit No. 3 Penn State. Kelly and Young tip off their respective basketball seasons on November 4 and November 6.