The gates flew open when June turned to July and few if any college athletes took off as fast as Fresno State twins Haley and Hanna Cavinder with their newly-gained ability to market their Name, Image and Likeness, make endorsement deals and monetize social media accounts.
The Cavinder twins, star guards on the Bulldogs’ women’s basketball team, signed a deal with Boost Mobile and another with Six Star Pro Nutrition and are expected to add one or two more within the next few days.
“The girls are going to be busy,” said Darren Heitner of Florida-based Heitner Legal, who has been retained as the twins’ legal counsel. “There are a lot of professional athletes who don’t come close to them in terms of number of followers, the type of engagement, how great their personalities are and their connection to fans.
“It’s not just Instagram, it’s TikTok, it’s YouTube. They’re starting to devote some more time to twitter. They cover all bases. Honestly, I think they’re a brand’s dream come true.”
Details of those deals were not released, but very soon the twin sisters could be among the highest paid anywhere on the Fresno State campus in this new era of college athletics.
The NCAA on Wednesday adopted rules changes that allow student-athletes to profit from their Name, Image and Likeness effective July 1, allowing them to monetize social media accounts and be paid for appearing in advertising campaigns, for autograph signings and personal appearances at camps or car dealerships or grocery stores and any number of other ventures.
Across the country, college athletes and companies were announcing partnerships. University of Miami quarterback D’Eriq King signed a deal with College Hunks Hauling Junk & Moving and Murphy Auto Group that will pay him more than $20,000, according to the Miami Herald; Illinois basketball player Edgar Padilla also has a deal with Six Star.
The Cavinders’ plan with Boost Mobile
But opportunities abound in this new marketplace, with national or local companies and even individually.
Georgia running back Kendall Milton, the Buchanan High grad, launched his personal brand, KM2, with a flashy logo. Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez, from Clovis West, recently started a podcast that could attract a sponsor.
Boost Mobile will tap into the Cavinders’ extensive social media reach.
“The Boost Mobile deal is a longer-term, more deliverable type deal,” Heitner said. “It’s a whole set of deliverables. You’ll see various content posted to their different social media accounts throughout multiple months and, again, different types of engagement. But certainly there will be a social media component to that.
“It’s not something that we’re looking at as a short-term deal. We’re looking at hopefully the start of a very long-term relationship. Well see how the deal goes over the near future, and I know the girls are extremely excited about partnering with such a large and established reputable brand.”
The Cavinder twins’ earnings potential has continued to explode on social media with a shared TikTok account that has 3.3 million followers, up from 2.9 million in April and from around 660,000 last August, not even a year ago.
They have individual Instagram accounts with more than 250,000 followers, up from around 185,000 in April.
They are, Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence said in April, among the top five most marketable players in women’s college basketball.
College athletes are open for business
A valuation prepared by the marketing platform in April pegged the Cavinders’ individual social media accounts at around $45,000 annually. The shared TikTok, more than $520,000 annually. A single branded post from the account would be worth around $35,000. Add in a shared YouTube channel, and those two shared accounts alone could pull down as much as or more than $600,000 a year.
Saul Jimenez-Sandoval, the newly hired Fresno State president, is paid $348,423 — not including benefits and other perks.
Jaime White, the Bulldogs’ women’s basketball coach, made $262,563 in base salary. Athletics director Terry Tumey, $278,374. The dean of the Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, $205,398.
Fresno State was among the first athletics departments to partner with Opendorse, providing all of its student-athletes with the education and tools to maximize Name, Image and Likeness rights., and all college athletes can create a marketplace. As Milton posted on social media the other day, they are open for business.
“Starting July 1st according to the NCAA, we will be granted the opportunity to capitalize off our name, image and likeness at the collegiate level,” Milton posted, on twitter. “Pretty soon, we as student-athletes will be able to brand ourselves, as well as other companies and businesses. My DM is open to all potential opportunities!!”
This story was originally published July 01, 2021 9:27 AM.