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The NIL era of college football has given us some incredible stories.
But perhaps none is as fitting as the deal that Penn State star defensive end Chop Robinson sign recently.
Robinson, a projected first round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, is the new face of the Pennsylvania Pork Producers Council.
On3 Sports’ Pete Nakos reports that he will star in a campaign to promote, of course, pork chops.
Robinson, whose given first name is Demeioun, was nicknamed “pork chop” by his parents after he was born as a 14-pound baby. As he got older, he shed the “pork” part of the name and opted to just go by “Chop.”
But as things in life, the nickname seems to have circled back around and provided him with a lucrative opportunity.
Surprisingly enough, it’s not the first pork-related NIL deal of the 2023 season.
Just last month, the Iowa Pork Producers Association announced a deal sponsoring Iowa State football players Myles Purchase, Tyler Moore, Tommy Hamann, and Caleb Bacon.
Using a combination of those team members’ last names, the company created the “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon” campaign.
Robinson, however, presents a unique opportunity for the PA Pork Producers Council.
He’s not only one of the Nittany Lions’ best players, but one of the best players in the nation.
The 6-foot-3, 254-pound defensive end has anchored the nation’s second-best scoring defense and top total defense.
“(Robinson) has (the) lower body flexibility to dip shoulder and get around edge to accelerate into backfield. Has speed to chase plays down from behind. Shows off-ball quickness. Has to work on stacking and shedding blocks and being able to anchor when ball is run at him. Has ability to play immediately at high-level program. First round NFL draft potential,” Brian Dohn of 247Sports wrote about the star when he was in high school.
As it turns out, he’s more than lived up to the hype. And he’s given us one of, if not the top NIL deal in the nation as well.