While the Clemson football program will have to wait a little longer- at least currently- than some other places, the Tigers are set to begin in the changing world of ‘name, image, likeness’ beginning next year.
The South Carolina state legislature passed a NIL bill earlier this spring and it has been signed by Gov. Henry McMaster. The bill is set to go into effect on July 1st of 2022.
While Clemson will be behind several other states- including Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and New Mexico- who have bills set to go into effect in July of this year, it won’t be long before NIL is an active part of all of College Football.
Here’s a look at three current Clemson football players who will benefit the most from NIL.
3. Will Shipley
When we started thinking about the Tigers who might benefit most from NIL who are currently on the roster, our first thought went to those freshmen who will have the most time to benefit from the legislation.
Will Shipley, a former 5-star, has the ability to develop into a Christian McCaffrey type playmaker before it’s all said and done. If he’s able to establish himself consistently as a freshman, there’s a solid chance he’ll winning the starting running back position as a sophomore, though it will be a competition.
With that No. 1 uniform- and numbers absolutely matter when you’re talking about personal branding- Shipley could become one of the biggest names in College Football, especially by his junior season.
It might not be Trevor Lawrence level money, but he’d certainly stand to gain quite a bit if he measures up the hype he’s receiving.