From Jackson State to Colorado, Shedeur Sanders is a magnet when it comes to the NIL space. Boardroom breaks down his valuation, deals, and more.
Being the son of one of the best defensive backs of all time certainly has its pros and cons. One of those pros is that new Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders gets to play for his father, Deion “Prime” Sanders, who is in his first season as Buffaloes’ head coach.
This isn’t new for the father-son duo, which did the same thing at Jackson State for Shedeur’s freshman and sophomore campaigns. Once Prime accepted the job, it was only a matter of time before his son — who threw for 3,732 yards and 40 touchdowns for the Tigers in 2022 — followed him to Boulder.
Now, with more exposure as the starting quarterback of a Power 5 team, it’s safe to assume Shedeur will see more deals come his way regarding name, image, and likeness (NIL). Not that the star QB was hurting before that.
But where does Sanders sit relative to his counterparts regarding the NIL space? What kind of deals has he signed to this point to get him there? Boardroom breaks down his portfolio.
Shedeur Sanders NIL Market Value
All data via On3.com’s NIL rankings as of Sept. 20, 2023.
College Football NIL rank: 1
Overall NIL 100 rank: 2
Current Valuation: $5.1 million
10-week High: $5.1 million
10-week Low: $1.3 million
Total Social Media Followers: 1.8 million (1.5M on IG, 266K on TikTok, 51K on Twitter)
The above monetary figures are via On3’s NIL Valuation, a proprietary algorithm that “establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate by measuring two categories, Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index.”
“While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.”
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Notable Shedeur Sanders NIL Deals
Oikos
When it comes to commercial marketing, it doesn’t get much bigger than the Super Bowl. It’s a linear opportunity to get your face out there in front of millions of people, and honestly, if you don’t know the Sanders Family by now, there’s a good chance you aren’t watching the Super Bowl anyway.
This commercial is a brief snippet of what I imagine the household could be on a daily basis — competitive.
While “Old Time Prime Time” seemed to settle the score at the end of the ad, the next family competition is probably just around the corner. Could it turn into another NIL opportunity? Who knows, but don’t be surprised if the father-son duo collaborate on deals in the future, too.
“There’s always been a very competitive nature between my sons and me,” Coach Sanders said. “When Oikos came to us with this opportunity, I was excited to go head-to-head with my son because I now get to prove to everyone that Dad is still the stronger – and more handsome – Sanders.”
Gatorade
When NIL first got going, Gatorade was mighty selective regarding who it wanted to sponsor. The first college athlete it decided to partner with was UConn’s Paige Bueckers in November 2021, and then just a few months later, it was Shedeur’s time. Sanders — as well as Paige — was even chosen to represent the company before former Florida QB Anthony Richardson, which was a natural collaboration from the jump.
And while he was the second student-athlete to sign with Gatorade, Shedeur was the first HBCU athlete to do so, having agreed to it while at Jackson State. You can find Shedeur in a number of Gatorade ads and on the company website. There’s even the option to buy a Shedeur Sanders Gx Bottle.
Gatorade has since made smaller deals with a number of college athletes across the country, helping promote certain campaigns and products. But Sanders — as well as Bueckers and folks like Hansel Enmanuel — remain the front-facing college athletes for Gatorade.
Mercedes-Benz
If you’ve been paying attention to NIL at all these last couple of years, you know that cars and athletes are a popular deal combination. For most, though, it’s a deal with a local dealership in which the athlete may appear in a commercial or two while getting a whip to ride around in for free.
For Sanders? He’s being featured all over Mercedes-Benz’s official social media accounts — not just in Jackson, Miss., or Boulder, Colo.
At the time of the deal, Sanders was promoting the company’s electric EQB SUV — Sanders got his own 2022 model as part of the deal.
BRADY Brand
Speaking of making money moves, Tom Brady has been doing just that ever since retiring from the NFL. One of those ventures includes the BRADY Brand, an apparel line that launched in early 2022 while the GOAT was wrapping up the final season of his career.
With that, Brady signed 10 athletes to NIL deals off the bat, with one of those being Sanders. Nine months later, the company decided to sign the Colorado QB as an official ambassador.
“Shedeur Sanders is the perfect ambassador for BRADY,” Brady said. “He embodies everything we look for in a BRADY athlete and his character and values align perfectly with our brand. Not only is he an exceptional football player and quarterback but he is one of the most influential players of his generation, and we’re thrilled that he’s officially joining the BRADY family.”
Sure, your dad is Prime, but hearing that from perhaps the best player to play at your position has gotta be pretty cool.
More notable deals: Under Armour, Actively Black, PLB Sports, Beats by Dre
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