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USC Star JuJu Watkins Makes NIL History with Makeup Deal

Women of Troy All-American adds another major brand partnerships ahead of season.

Michael Ehrlich

Mar 25, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts during a NCAA Women’s Tournament 2nd round game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
Mar 25, 2024; Los Angeles, CA, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts during a NCAA Women’s Tournament 2nd round game against the Kansas Jayhawks at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images
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One of the current faces of college basketball, USC All-American JuJu Watkins is adding a historic NIL partnership to her portfolio ahead of the new season. The sophomore has become the first college basketball player to step into the makeup world, signing a new deal with NYX Professional Makeup.

Watkins will star in a variety of national marketing campaigns across the brand's massive social and digital platforms, encouraging athletes to "Make Them Look" - brand messaging that NYX Professional Makeup promotes to "empower the loud, proud and authentic self-expression of female athletes." The Women of Tory guard will also appear in retail displays for the brand across the country.

"I am thrilled to partner with NYX Professional Makeup to help further amplify their mission to inspire beauty enthusiasts around the world and embrace their own personal style," Watkins said. "NYX is all about breaking boundaries and celebrating individuality, which resonates deeply with me both as an athlete and as a person. I'm looking forward to working with a brand that embraces creativity and encourages everyone to feel confident in their own skin."

NYX Professional Makeup continues to make headlines across the sports industry, following up on announcing the first-ever cosmetics sponsorships of the WNBA's New York Liberty and NWSL's Angel City Football Club.

As a freshman last year, Watkins was the nation's second-leading scorer - behind Iowa legend and WNBA rookie of the year Caitlin Clark - setting the all-time scoring mark for a freshman, earning USC’s sixth first-team All-American honors, while leading the Women of Troy to the Elite Eight.

Watkins - who has added a massive Nike extension and Gatorade partnership to her portfolio recently - will be among the top NIL athletes across all of college sports this school year. She leads No. 3-ranked USC into the season with National Championship aspirations, while continuing to build out her robust brand portfolio.

The Women of Troy tip off their campaign on November when they host No. 20 Ole Miss.

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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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