9 Wildest March Madness NIL Deals

We are still getting used to this brave new world where brands can hire college athletes to hawk their wares. This year’s NCAA Tournament featured a number of zany NIL deals, ranging from star players to mascots and managers—and a number of clever puns. 

1. The Tater Tot Heir

BYU’s Richie Saunders, whose great-grandfather F. “Nephie” Griggs invented the Tater Tot, inked a deal with Ore-Ida to celebrate the potatoes. 

“I think Ore-Ida has done a really good job because they jumped on the ship real quick,” Saunders said before the Sweet 16. “I think a lot of it is up to them if they want to try to cash in—I feel like they have.” 

2. Aura

McNeese State manager Amir “Aura” Khan got a bevy of NIL deals after he went viral for leading the team’s walkouts while rapping and carrying a boom box. Sponsoring brands included Buffalo Wild Wings, TickPick, Topps, Insomnia Cookies, PSD underwear, Formula Bot (an AI startup), TurboTax, Rock’Em Socks, and Fortnite. CBS Sports reporter Matt Norlander wrote that Khan’s collective NIL income “easily soared into six figures.” 

3. Air Raid Offense 

Raid, a pest control company, did a deal with Baylor players Jeremy Roach and Darianna Littlepage-Buggs before the NCAA Tournament. Get it?

4. Every King Needs a Queen

You knew this one was coming: After Maryland center Derik Queen hit a buzzer beater to defeat Colorado State and send the Terrapins to the Sweet 16, he landed an NIL deal with Dairy Queen. 

5. Mascots in on the Action

The men’s grooming company Duke Cannon sponsored Iowa State’s mascot, Cy the Cardinal, in an ironic “un-NIL” campaign given that you can’t see the human under the costume and he wasn’t identified. 

6. Santa Staley

For Christmas this year, South Carolina women’s basketball head coach Dawn Staley got the practice squad an interesting gift: an NIL sponsorship with shoe brand OOFOS, which paid for them to travel to Birmingham for the second weekend of the tournament. 

7. Pun Intended

The laxative brand Miralax featured several women’s basketball players who wear No. 2 in an ad campaign, including Ruby Whitehorn of Tennessee, Grace Townsend of North Carolina, and Vanessa de Jesus of Duke.

8. Democratized Payments

Former D-II tight end Cale Johnston created an app called ROY (Return On You), which allows users to directly pay players who make big plays for their favorite teams. 

9. ‘Tis the Season

March Madness comes right before Tax Day (April 15), so it’s only natural that TurboTax partnered with Kentucky basketball players Clara Strack and Koby Brea on a commercial.