WWE Announces Star-Studded 2024 NIL Class
During Tuesday night's NXT broadcast, WWE revealed their next wave of college athletes signed in the company's 'NIL Class of 2024.'
The prestigious NIL program is under the moniker of "Next In Line" as they search the country for their next big time entertainers.
The group sat in the front row while being introduced, one-by-one. Among the group was the following: Miami's Jeremy Cody, Ohio State's Carlos Aviles, Howard's Darci Kahn, Arkansas' Sirena Linton , South Alabama's Abby Jacobs and Georgia's Jaiden Fields.
WWE’s NIL Class of 2024. pic.twitter.com/lTd4OK9o44
— Wrestle Ops (@WrestleOps) June 12, 2024
All six athletes have been a part of previous Next In Line classes.
If you recognize the last name Fields, it's because that is the sister of new Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Justin Fields. She is a grad student softball player at Georgia.
She was able to showcase her prowess as an athlete during her time as a Bulldog. She had a career batting average of .310 while hitting 29 home runs in her five seasons. The former All-SEC team member played both right field and first base.
Fields and Jacobs were initially signed to the first class of 2023 athletes.
Cody, Linton and Khan all were also a part of the fourth-class signed back in December.
Like the others, Aviles is also back with his second stint in the program. He was signed back in 2021, though, during in the inagural class.
He was highly-touted coming out of high school, as one of California's best track and field players, which explains why they have had their eye on him for a while. He used to play football, but switched to discus.
The main perk of signing with WWE is the ability to train at their Performance Center in Orlando, Fl. There is also the possibility of signing a contract if you impress.
The first college signed via NIL by the company was Gable Stevenson, who just recently signed a contract with the NFL.
There has been an internal success story within the program. Isaac Odugbesan has stuck around in NXT, wrestling under the name Oba Femi. He was a part of the first class along with Aviles. He was the first of the program to win a title as he won the NXT North American Championship earlier this year.
The is the fifth class signed since the program started in 2021. It's also the smallest by a significant number, which could mean a bigger spotlight for those signed.
DYLAN SANDERS
Dylan Sanders graduated from Louisiana State University with a degree from the Manship School of Mass Communication in 2023. He was born in raised in Baton Rouge, LA but has also lived in Buffalo, NY. Though he is a recent graduate, he has been writing about sports since he was in high school, covering different sports from baseball to football. While in college, he wrote for the school paper The Reveille and for 247Sports. He was able cover championships in football, baseball and women's basketball during his time at LSU. He has also spent a few years covering the NFL draft and every day activities of the New Orleans Saints. He is a Senior Writer at Inside the Marlins and will also be found across Sports Illustrated's baseball sites as a contributing writer. You can follow him on Twitter or Instagram @dillysanders