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Penn State starts to make progress with NIL

By Alec Whitaker

STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: A general view of Penn State Nittany Lions helmets on the sidelines during the second half of the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - NOVEMBER 20: A general view of Penn State Nittany Lions helmets on the sidelines during the second half of the game between the Penn State Nittany Lions and the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at Beaver Stadium on November 20, 2021 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State athletics and some of its student athletes have started to agree to significant NIL deals in the recent days.

There are two deals in particular that are encouraging.

The first is a deal between Penn State and Fanatics, who now owns Topps trading cards. Penn State is one of almost 100 schools to agree to this deal with Fanatics. The deal allows Fanatics to make Topps trading cards using school trademarks and the name, imagine and likeness of current and former student athletes.

Because so many other schools are involved in the deal, Penn State doesn’t really gain any recruiting advantage in football or basketball, the two sports involved in the deal. However, it is encouraging to see the athletics department get involved in something like this and put the school’s brand and student athletes out there for national exposure.

Penn State freshman running back Nicholas Singleton runs with the ball after catching a screen pass during the 2022 Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College.Hes Dr 042322 Bluewhite
Penn State freshman running back Nicholas Singleton runs with the ball after catching a screen pass during the 2022 Blue-White game at Beaver Stadium on Saturday, April 23, 2022, in State College.Hes Dr 042322 Bluewhite /

The second deal is a little bit of a bigger deal. Freshman running back Nick Singleton agreed to a NIL deal with West Shore Home. Specifics of the deal have not been released, but it is a multi-year deal.

This is the first significant NIL deal for a Penn State football player to go public.

The timing of this deal could also not be better. As we’ve discussed frequently in the recent days, Penn State football is in the middle of the June official visit window. Every weekend, numerous high-profile recruits visit the campus as the staff gives their best recruiting pitch. Singleton’s deal is now likely included in the pitch.

It’s also encouraging to see Penn State alumni step up and play a role in NIL. West Shore Home’s CEO B.J. Werzyn noted that he is a graduate of Penn State in the press release.

"As a Penn State alumnus, I’m proud that Nick is representing the Nittany Lions and that West Shore Home is part of his college journey."

NIL has been the talk of college athletics in recent months and was a topic of debate during football head coach James Franklin’s media availability this past week. Franklin talked about how important NIL will be to keeping the roster intact in the coming years.

It’s nice to see a local business, like West Shore Home, step up to plate and set a precedent for others. This is just the beginning.

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