The 10 Most Incredibly On-Brand NIL Deals That Made Too Much Sense

The NCAA spent decades making sure student-athletes weren’t allowed to make a single penny off of their name, image, and likeness, but that changed in the wake of the Supreme Court ruling that ushered in the NIL Era in 2021. A lot of fans have had issues with the impact that pivot has had on the landscape of college sports, but there are more than a few sponsorship deals you have to respect based on how much of a no-brainer they were.

A lot of schools have harnessed NIL deals and the collectives that hand them out to create an environment where players are essentially paid to play without having to do too much in return, but there are also plenty of companies and brands that have taken advantage of the chance to launch some wildly organic partnerships.

That includes a number of NIL sponsorships that stemmed from a unique name and some others where the two parties were just a match made in heaven—including…

Decoldest Crawford And An HVAC Company

Decoldest Crawford’s name got some attention when he was making a name for himself as a high school football player in Louisiana; he claimed his middle name was ToEvaDoIt (sadly, it’s actually “Juan) and got his first taste of viral fame before heading to college.

Crawford initially enrolled at Nebraska in 2022 and didn’t waste much time signing an NIL deal with SOS Heating & Cooling, an HVAC company based in Omaha that had him film a commercial to promote its air conditioning maintenance services.

He was injured before his freshman season got underway and transferred to Louisiana Tech. However, he only had two receptions in 2023, didn’t play in 2024, and transferred to Grambling State ahead of the 2025 campaign.

Ga'Quincy "Kool-Aid" McKinstry And Kool-Aid

The man born Ga-Quincy McKinstry earned his nickname immediately after he was born thanks to his grandmother, who noted he had a ” big Kool-Aid smile” as soon as he came out of the womb.

McKinstry ended up playing cornerback at Alabama for three years and signed an NIL deal with Kool-Aid ahead of his freshman season.

He declared for the NFL Draft in 2024 and has been a member of the Saints since they selected him in the second round with the 41st overall pick.

General Booty And An Underwear Brand

In 2002, Abram and Amy Booty welcomed a new son into the world before he received a birth certificate emblazoned with the name  General Maximus Axel Booty.

They initially planned on calling him Axel, but he insisted on going by “General” and subsequently attracted plenty of attention for some fairly obvious reasons after he transferred to Oklahoma in 2022 after a season at a junior college.

The following year, Booty signed an NIL deal with Rock ‘Em Socks, which specializes in that particular form of apparel but also sold some underwear with his name on the back.

Booty ended up transferring to Louisiana-Monroe, and while he entered the portal after the most recent season, it doesn’t appear he’s found a new home.

Dieunerst Collin And Popeyes

If you’ve spent enough time on the internet, you’ve likely come across the GIF of a young Dieunerst Collin giving side-eye to a camera after being mistaken for the Vine star Terio while inside a Popeyes restaurant.

Collin ended up playing high school football in New Jersey and made it pretty clear he wanted an NIL deal with Popeyes after enrolling at Lake Erie College in 2021—one he was able to land shortly after making the request.

He was on the roster at UT-Permian Basin in 2024 but didn’t end up taking a snap.

Purchase, Moore, Hamann, Bacon And The Iowa Pork Producers Association

In 2023, Iowa State’s football team boasted a quartet of players named Myles Purchse, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann, and Caleb Bacon.

The Iowa Pork Producers Association seized on a golden opportunity by giving all four of those players an NIL deal to encourage people to “Purchase More Ham And Bacon,” which the Sports Business Journal rightfully named the best one to come out of 2023.

The association also added Alec Cook and Zach Lovett to the equation in an attempt to further its message, and the deal was renewed in 2024.

Jake Retzlaff And A Kosher Food Company

BYU is the nation’s preeminent Mormon university, and while every student-athlete has to sign its honor code, there have been plenty of players who weren’t members of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.

That includes Jake Retzlaff, the Jewish quarterback who embraced his “BY-Jew” nickname after earning the starting job in 2023.

Last season, he attracted the interest of Manischewitz, a kosher food company based in Cincinnati that signed him to promote products including matzo and potato latke mix.

Bijan Robinson's Mustard Brand

Bijan Robinson reaped the benefits of being a big name at Texas, as his list of NIL deals included partnerships with Lamborghini, C4 Energy, and Raising Cane’s.

However, none of them were more unique than the one that led to the creation of the running back’s very own condiment—Bijan Mustardson—in 2022 to take advantage of the fact that his first name rhymes with “Dijon.”

Mohamed Ibrahim And Gushers

Plenty of athletes rely on small snacks to stay fueled during a game, and former Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim garnered some attention when he was spotted gobbling down some Gushers on the sideline.

That led to the fruit snack brand giving him an NIL deal and his very own custom pack with a flavor dubbed “Touchdown Splash.”

Jeremy Roach And Darianna Littlepage-Buggs Link Up With Raid

We have our first non-football players courtesy of Jeremy Roach and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs, who both play basketball at Baylor (although the former was still at Duke when the deal in question was signed).

In 2024, the pest control brand Raid became the latest brand to execute an incredibly organic NIL agreement, and Roach and Buggs were both tapped for pretty obvious reasons.

John Daly II and Hooters

John Daly has famously spent close to three decades posting up in the parking lot of the Hooters down the street from Augusta National during The Masters, and his son ended up reaping the benefits.

In 2022, John Daly II (who plays golf at Arkansas) got an NIL deal from the chain a few years before it filed for bankruptcy after it signed him to serve as an official ambassador.