Top-Earning College Athletes Recognized by NIL Store Awards
The Mark Cuban-backed NIL Store powered by Campus Ink is celebrating the upcoming NIL anniversary on July 1 with a robust award series. The officially licensed NIL apparel company announced the final round of the NIL Store Awards nominees, including finalists for top-earning male and female athletes from the past school year.
To no surprise the nominees feature all basketball players, led by past Player of the Years Zac Edey of Purdue and Paige Bueckers of UConn plus former National Champion Angel Reese of LSU. Intriguing is the Purdue and UConn teammates sharing the wealth - literally - as those two programs dominate the finalists. The nominees include:
Top-Earning Female Athlete Finalists
Paige Bueckers, UConn
Gabbie Marshall, Iowa
Nika Mühl, UConn
Angel Reese, LSU
Top-Earning Male Athlete Finalists
Zach Edey, Purdue
Lance Jones, Purdue
Jared McCain, Duke
Braden Smith, Purdue
"We're thrilled to recognize our top-earning athletes on both the male and female side," shared Campus Ink's Director of Marketing & Communications, Sean Ellenby. "When considering these finalists, it's important to recognize the impact they've made on their respective fanbases. To compel a fan to purchase their apparel speaks to their incredible efforts both on the playing surface, and in their communities."
Bueckers - who returns to UConn for a final season as one of the top NIL earners in college sports - is expected to win her category, while the two-time defending National Player of the Year Edey should take home the victory in on the men's side as they have both been sales leaders across the NIL Store network for months.
The 7'4" Canadian center was able to take part in "passive" NIL opportunities - like jersey and apparel sales - while at Purdue, but nothing more. Since entering the NBA Draft, his marketing portfolio has certainly expanded, as seen by his recent KFC campaign that aired during the NBA Finals.
In addition to the previously announced and recent top-earning athlete awards, the NIL Store also released their "School Partner of the Year" nominees that include Marquette, North Carolina, Purdue and Western Kentucky.
Fan voting ends on June 23 at 11:59 PM ET and those who participate earn a 20% discount on NIL Store apparel. Campus Ink will begin announcing winners next week in advance of July 1.
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