At midnight on July 1st, the NCAA’s new name, image, and likeness (NIL) law went into effect and it will forever change college football as we know it. We saw Auburn Football quarterback Bo Nix sign a partnership with Milo’s Tea Company right at midnight. Now we have seen multiple Auburn football players sign a partnership with YOKE Gaming as of this morning.
Auburn Football players with a partnership with YOKE Gaming:
- Ladarius Tennison
- Zion Puckett
- Devan Barrett
- Marquis Burks
- Eric Reed Jr.
- J.J. Evans
- Dre Butler
- Jaylin Simpson
- Joko Willis
- Ja’Varrius Johnson
- Shaun Shivers
YOKE Gaming allows athletes to play video games 1-on-1 or in a group with fans. Pricing depends on the athlete and the length of the game session. The company’s co-founder tweeted that over 5,000 student-athletes will be partnered with YOKE by the end of the week. Shivers was the first Auburn football player to announce his partnership on Instagram.
Auburn University launched the SPIRIT program on May 20th, in which the goal was to educate student-athletes on the new NIL stipulations, rules, advantages, and guidelines. Allen Greene had this to say about the program and new NIL legislation:
"“At Auburn, we are in a relentless pursuit to be the best, while delivering outstanding experiences contributing to our student-athletes’ success. As we embark on the new world of name, image, and likeness we strive to implement bold and forward-thinking strategies to create cutting edge solutions.”“We recognize that there are still many unknowns as it relates to NIL, but we will be nimble and ready to adapt to the ever-changing landscape. We embrace NIL and welcome the opportunities and challenges. We fully support our student-athletes and their opportunity to utilize Auburn’s national brand to put themselves in the best position to capitalize on the benefits of NIL. Our mission remains to educate, support, and develop our student-athletes at every moment to create Auburn men and women.”"
Auburn football players will continue to sign partnerships with more national brands and local businesses in the coming days. Also, players will likely start their own clothing line or personal brand shop; similar to what Shaun Shivers and D’Eriq King (Miami; QB) already have in place. Stay tuned to Fly War Eagle for the latest updates!