Which Utah Athletes Have The Best Chance Of Finding Endorsement Deals?

SALT LAKE CITY, Utah – Today is the day in which college athletics changes forever. Collegiate athletes across the country can now accept payments for the use of their name, image, and likeness (NIL).

But not everybody is going to find mountains of money despite the change, which local athletes have the best chance of monetizing their NIL?

• • Caleb Lohner (BYU Basketball)
    The one time Utah commit is now wearing the Royal Blue. Lohner is just a sophomore and has many more years of eligibility left. He also has 33K Instagram followers, curly, long hair that stands out, and has a good sense of fashion. Lohner is a very likely candidate for local companies to utilize as his reach is significant.

 

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• Puka Nacua (BYU Football)
  Puka is arguably the most well know BYU football player on its roster. The young wide receiver recently transferred from the University of Washington where he excelled as a freshman in the Pac-12. During his high school career, he was sought after by the nation’s best colleges. Now that he is at BYU he has a chance to capitalize on the market by being involved in sponsorship opportunities. He has 6.5K Instagram followers and 5.5K Twitter followers.
• Maile O’Keefe (Utah Gymnastics)
  With 28.4K Instagram followers, Maile is a tremendous candidate to make some extra money through her NIL. She has the ability to reach a lot of people when she posts which is very appealing to local businesses. She is also on one of the premier gymnastics teams in the country, which doesn’t hurt her cause either.

   

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• Abby Paulson (Utah Gymnastics)
  Abby’s Instagram page is home to 14.3K followers. She is a former U.S. National Team gymnastics member and is certainly one of the more popular gymnasts Utah has to offer.
• Sydney Soloski (Utah Gymnastics)
  Sydney has 14.4K Instagram followers and 1,900 Twitter followers. She uses both platforms regularly and subsequently has significant followings on both. She also has 1.62K YouTube followers. Sydney is very active on social media which will help her case for making as much money as she can through her NIL.
• Charlie Brewer (Utah Football)
  The expected starting quarterback for the Utes has 14.9K Instagram followers. He is a very well-known name within the college football circles and a leader within the locker room. Brewer is an ideal candidate to make significant money off his NIL.
• Ja’Quinden Jackson (Utah Football)
  The former Texas quarterback and current member of the Utah football team Ja’Quinden Jackson has 20.5K Instagram followers and is one of the more popular Utah athletes on social media. His playing time in 2021, or lack thereof, may play a role in whether he can capitalize on his NIL, but his reach is for certain, with just one post on Instagram Jackson can find a lot of lingering eyes.
• Chris Curry (Utah Football)
  Curry hails from LSU, one of college footballs most prestigious universities, which would suggest that his 13.6K Instagram following should come at no surprise. The lively tailback is also active on Twitter where he has 5.5K followers.
• Britain Covey (Utah Football)
  Covey may not have the most Instagram or Twitter followers (10.9K and 9.2K respectively) but he has the name. His face and last name are worth more than any social media following in the state of Utah. Covey is the unofficial face of the Utah football players.

   

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• Tj Pledger (Utah Football)
  Oklahoma transfer Tj Pledger has a solid 19.8K Instagram followers. He is expected to play a significant role for the Utes in 2021 which will only help his cause.
• Dani Drews (Utah Volleyball)
  Dani Drews is a very popular figure amongst the Utah Athletic Department. She is the star on the Utah volleyball team and holds 8K Instagram followers for her efforts. Before she married former Utah Football player Christian Drews, Dani held the last name, Barton. She is the younger sister of current NFL players Cody and Jackson Barton. Dani comes from Utah Athletic royalty.