Adidas Football Signs 7 High School Football Players to NIL Deals

Adidas has signed seven high school football players to NIL brand ambassadorship deals.

The inagural adizero 7 class. / adidas

It has been an exciting calendar year for adidas US Football. The Three Stripes dominated Super Bowl week, signed top NFL Draft picks, and partnered with Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons.

On Thursday night, adidas US Football continued its investment in the sport by announcing the selection of its inaugural adizero 7 Class, a group of seven talented high school football athletes, as NIL brand ambassadors.

The adizero 7 Class includes Tyler Atkinson, Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, Madden Iamaleava, Vernell Brown III, Madden Williams, Chris Henry Jr. and Winston Watkins Jr. The announcement of the adizero 7 is just the latest example of adidas' commitment to grassroots Football and empowering the next generation of athletes.

This collaboration is a strategic extension of adidas' multi-year partnership with Overtime established in October 2023, when adidas was named the exclusive apparel and footwear sponsor of Overtime leagues including OT7, Overtime Elite and Overtime Select.

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Both organizations share a unified vision centered around an athlete-first approach, ensuring the well-being and development of Overtime players, which remains pivotal to their collaborative efforts.

This partnership offers these athletes an unprecedented platform to build relationships within adidas, and the brand in turn, deepens its ties with next-generation stars. The athletes will represent the three stripes throughout the 2024 7v7 season, high school season and into 2025 and will participate in future photoshoots and campaigns for the brand. 

The adizero 7 are the pinnacle of performance, speed and expression – pushing the game of Football into the future. The inaugural class joins adidas Football professional partners, including Patrick Mahomes, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Garrett Wilson, Rome Odunze, Michael Penix Jr, Adonai Mitchell and Xavier Legette.

Highlighting the ambassadors (rankings via 247 Sports):

• Tyler Atkinson (Class of 2026) – A five-star recruit ranking as the No. 1 linebacker and the No. 8 overall player in the 2026 class.
• Kayden Dixon-Wyatt (Class of 2026) – A four-star recruit ranking as the No. 31 wide receiver and No. 183 overall player in the 2026 class.
• Chris Henry Jr. (Class of 2026) – A five-star recruit ranking as the No. 1 wide receiver and No. 2 overall player in the 2026 class.
• Madden Iamaleava (Class of 2025) – A four-star recruit ranking as the No. 11 quarterback and No. 164 overall player in the 2025 class. He recently committed to UCLA.
• Vernell Brown III (Class of 2025) – A four-star recruit ranking as the No. 7 wide receiver and No. 38 overall player in the 2025 class.
• Madden Williams (Class of 2026) – A four-star recruit ranking as the No. 37 wide receiver and No. 247 overall player in the 2026 class.
• Winston Watkins Jr. (Class of 2025) – A four-star recruit ranking as the No. 20 wide receiver and No. 175 overall player in the 2025 class.

These seven athletes, among others, will be at the OT7 Championships June 6-10. The OT7 Championships can be found on NFL Network, YouTube and Overtime social channels. Sports fans can count on Sports Illustrated for all their most important footwear news.

Further Reading: Patrick Mahomes' signature adidas sneakers go "Off Script" with new colorway.