WWE awards 2nd spherical of NCAA NIL agreements

WWE’s second class of school athletes receiving identify, picture and likeness agreements contains the primary individuals in males’s basketball, volleyball, gymnastics, and cheer and dance, in addition to 4 from Energy 5 soccer packages.

The 15-member group taking part in WWE’s “Subsequent In Line” program will prepare on the promotion’s efficiency heart in Orlando, Florida, and obtain assets in areas similar to model constructing and media communications. Gable Steveson, the Olympic gold medalist and NCAA champion in heavyweight wrestling at Minnesota, headlined WWE’s first NIL class together with Miami basketball twins and social media stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder.

The brand new group contains Auburn All-America gymnast Derrian Gobourne, Tennessee observe and subject standout Chandler Hayden, Pac-12 heavyweight wrestling champion Cohlton Schultz and Ole Miss cheer and dance athlete Ali Mattox, who received a world championship with Group USA in 2019.

Illinois tight finish Luke Ford, a former ESPN high 100 recruit who started his profession at Georgia, headlines the contingent of soccer gamers, together with Arizona State fullback Case Hatch, Stanford outdoors linebacker Thunder Keck and Michigan State tight finish Maliq Carr, a switch from Purdue who additionally performs for MSU’s basketball group. The category additionally contains Hampton linebacker KeShaun Moore, WWE’s first NIL signee from an HBCU program. Hayden and Central Michigan basketball participant Mikala Corridor are among the many individuals with giant social media followings.

WWE began the Subsequent In Line program to establish future superstars and begin creating them at youthful ages. The promotion has a protracted historical past of hiring former school athletes, together with former standouts Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson (Miami soccer) and Faculty Soccer Corridor of Famer Ron Simmons (Florida State), and present stars Roman Reigns (Georgia Tech soccer) and Bianca Belair (Tennessee observe & subject). The typical age of the 25 athletes in WWE’s NIL program — 12 girls, 13 males — is 21.

The WWE’s latest NIL class will likely be acknowledged Monday night time on the inaugural NIL summit, held on the Faculty Soccer Corridor of Fame in Atlanta. In March, WWE held a tryout for 45 present and former school athletes as a part of WrestleMania week within the Dallas space.