Wolverine is the latest brand to get into the name, image and likeness (NIL) game.
According to the 140-year-old work boot company, it has signed NIL agreements with 13 University of Michigan football players.
Wolverine added in a press release on Tuesday that the partnership will involve a video series spotlighting each of the players and how they embody Wolverine’s “spirit of tenacity, grit, and determination,” the company said. Dubbed the “Maize and Blue Collar Campaign,” the series will debut on the brand’s social media channels and website this fall.
The athletes to sign with Wolverine include 2022 Heisman Trophy finalist and running back Blake Corum. For Corum, the deal marks his second year partnering with Wolverine. Other athletes participating in the agreement include Junior Colson, Mason Graham, Colston Loveland, incoming freshman Benjamin Hall, Donovan Edwards, Trevor Keegan, Zak Zinter, Kris Jenkins, Mike Sainristil, Mike Barrett, Cornelius Johnson, and Ladarius Henderson.
Scott Schoessel, VP of global marketing at Wolverine, said in a statement that the new NIL partnerships are a “natural fit” for the company as the players “share the same values, blue collar work ethic, and tenacity” that the Wolverine brand was founded upon. “The Maize and Blue Collar Campaign is all about the importance of hard work and commitment, whether you’re battling on the 50- yard line or on the front lines of a job site,” Schoessel said.
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This news comes after Wolverine partnered with University of Michigan head football coach Jim Harbaugh and several of the university’s football players at SkillsUSA Signing Day in Bay City, Mich. The event celebrated high school students as they signed letters of intent to pursue careers in skilled trades professions.
Wolverine is the latest footwear brand to ink NIL deals since new rules for student athletes were announced.
In June 2021, the NCAA announced that an interim policy was adopted by all three divisions suspending NIL rules, allowing college athletes to profit off of themselves. Since then, top athletes across all sports have signed endorsement deals with leading brands like Nike, Adidas, Jordan and Saucony, extending into the high school level.
