Report: LSU's Angel Reese has most NIL deals among all college players
Angel Reese helped lead LSU to its first Final Four since 2008 and she's also leading the way off the court.
As Nola.com's Zoe Collins Rath notes, a new report from Sponsor United reveals Reese has the most NIL sponsorships among all college basketball players.
The report ranks Reese fifth overall with 17 NIL deals, tied with Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders. North Carolina's Armando Bacot (16 deals) is the only other college basketball player to rank in the top 10.
Per Rath, her sponsorships are with companies such as McDonald's, Xfinity, Wingstop and JanSport, with plenty of room for Reese to grow her brand even bigger.
She's adopted the "Bayou Barbie" nickname and "as a way to further this brand, she and her team are attempting to trademark 'Bayou Barbie' so she can sell her own merchandise," writes Rath.
Reese set LSU school records for highest points per game (23.2) and rebounds per game (15.7) this season, her first in Baton Rouge.
She transferred from Maryland and has an extra year of NCAA eligibility due to the COVID-19 waiver. While she could declare for the draft in 2024, Rath's article makes a fascinating point as to why that's not likely to happen.
Rath points to a recent appearance Reese made on the "Outta Pocket" podcast where the star forward said, "The amount of money I can make in college is way more than the amount I can make in the WNBA."
With potentially two more games this year, and two more seasons after that, Reese has plenty of time thanks to name, image and likeness (NIL) deals to set up a secure financial future for herself before she steps on a WNBA court.
Angel Reese and No. 3 seed LSU plays No. 1 seed Virginia Tech on Friday for a spot in the national title game. Per Oddschecker, the Tigers (+700) have the second-closest odds of winning the NCAA Tournament and are two-point favorites against the Hokies.
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