Dunkin’ is signing its first college athletes to endorsement deals as the scramble for NCAA players spreads.
Deja Kelly, a sophomore who plays women’s basketball at the University of North Carolina, and Matthew Boling, a sprinter and long jumper at the University of Georgia, will debut on Dunkin’s roster. As part of the arrangement, they’ll promote the coffee and doughnut brand on social channels and have their own co-branded meals in their college towns. Financial terms weren’t disclosed.Brands are flocking to college sports after the NCAA changed its policy last summer to allow student-athletes to profit off their name, image and likeness. Consumer businesses ranging from Kool-Aid drinks to Degree deodorant have gotten involved.Several of the most prolific sports sponsors took their time surveying the college landscape before jumping in. Gatorade, the sports drink owned by PepsiCo Inc., signed University of Connecticut women’s basketball star Paige Bueckers to a multiyear deal in November, and Nike Inc. brought on Reilyn Turner from the University of California at Los Angeles women’s soccer team in December.
Dunkin’, a unit of closely held Inspire Brands Inc., has been active in sports as well, signing deals in recent years with the likes of the NFL’s Saquon Barkley and the NHL. The company said it plans to add more college athletes throughout the year.
Both Kelly and Boling are represented by major talent agencies, which have entered the fray by adding NIL operations to court collegiate athletes. Kelly is a client of Endeavor Group Holdings Inc.’s WME, while Boling joined Excel Sports Management.CNBC will air the men's curling semifinals at 5 and 8 p.m. The bronze-medal match is live at 1:30 a.m. on USA Network. ... NBC is showing the women's skicross final in the afternoon. The men's final is live during NBC's late-night coverage. ... NBC will have team Nordic combined in the afternoon and also during late-night coverage.Basketball’s Deja Kelly, sprinter Matthew Boling join growing trend of athletes cashing in on new NCAA rulesDunkin’ has become one of the latest companies to scout student-athletes for endorsement deals after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) updated its name, image and likeness (NIL) policy.
The company has debuted its starting roster including University of North Carolina’s Deja Kelly — a guard for the North Carolina Tar Heels — Bloomberg report
“I am so excited to announce that I am officially the captain of Team Dunkin’! I am a longtime Dunkin’ fan so this is truly a dream come true — stay tuned to see how Dunkin’ fuels me on and off the court,” Kelly wrote via Instagram. Deja Kelly's Path To Basketball Stardom
Before first stepping onto her university’s basketball court, Kelly’s high school journey led her to become a top-ten recruit and “one of the best high school players in the country,” according to Just Women’s Sports. Her decision to sign with UNC among many other offers came down to wanting to go where she could really make a long-lasting mark.
“Growing up, I saw a lot of other top recruits pick a school just for their name or for what they would do for their image,” she told the outlet. “With me, I was really strategic in my recruiting process, and I wanted to go to a school where I could build my own name, I could build the program up, I could set my own legacy at the school eventually and win some championships of my own, instead of going to a school that was already established.”
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