Jackson State quarterback Shedeur Sanders has signed a NIL cope with Gatorade to turn out to be the sports activities drink’s first-ever HBCU athlete.
Sanders, who’s the son of Jackson State head soccer coach Deion Sanders, had the most effective seasons of any freshman quarterback within the nation. The youthful Sanders led Jackson State to a SWAC Championship title and an look within the Celebration Bowl which serves because the division one HBCU nationwide championship.
He was additionally the primary and solely HBCU participant to win the Jerry Rice Award for one of the best FCS Freshman participant within the nation.
Shedeur threw for 3.231 yards, 30 touchdowns, and eight interceptions in his first season in Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson State was regarded by many as one of the best HBCU soccer group within the nation this season till they acquired dominated by South Carolina State within the Celebration Bowl on nationwide tv in December.
Shedeur’s cope with Gatorade will likely be part of a multi-year partnership that can look to present nationwide publicity to HBCU athletes and their applications. The brand new HBCU star has already signed offers with Beats By Dre and Brady Model.
Corporations have began to place an elevated emphasis on selling HBCUs and their expertise. And with the shift of NIL in school sports activities, extra HBCU athletes may very well be primed to make a splash in endorsement offers.
The dialog round HBCU sports activities is beginning to change by the day. And the influence of NIL offers like this from Gatorade and the bulletins of prime highschool prospects like Travis Hunter going to HBCUs are taking part in an important half in altering the narrative for these younger student-athletes.
Jackson State will look to come back again on a mission after shedding to South Carolina State within the Celebration Bowl and so they’ll probably be the favourite within the SWAC as soon as once more. Colleges like Florida A&M, Alcorn State, Southern, and others will likely be trying to dethrone the SWAC Champions subsequent season.
HBCU sports activities are in a really pivotal second in time proper now and so they want elevated consideration and publicity from firms like Gatorade to rework the established order. It’ll be fascinating to see how extra firms step as much as the problem of selling HBCU athletics.
