Clemson football: The first sponsored Tigers as NIL becomes legal

It didn’t take long for Clemson football players to begin to announce sponsorships and endorsement deals following the implementation of NIL policy by the NCAA on July 1.

Early in the morning, sophomore LB Trenton Simpson was the first Clemson football player in the history of the program to announce a NIL deal.

Simpson, who was angling for NIL opportunities through the promotion of his social media accounts, posted on Instagram around 3:30 a.m. that he had joined YOKE gaming.

The YOKE app is a platform that allows fans the opportunity to challenge athletes and prominent figures in video games.

In addition to Simpson, current Clemson football player Nolan Turner and Clemson basketball player Alex Hemengway also are a part of the YOKE app.

Clemson football fans should expect more endorsement deals to follow in the near future

Simpson might be the first Clemson athlete to officially announce a sponsorship deal, but we should expect many more Tigers to follow suit in the near future.

There are prominent names- like D.J. Uiagalelei, Justyn Ross, Bryan Bresee and Myles Murphy, to name a few- who are expected to benefit in a big way from their NIL and there are others, as well, who could strike big deals before it’s all said and done.

This is a new era of College Athletics and things are everchanging and unfolding right before our eyes.

We’ve already seen a number of athletes from across the nation announce endorsement deals and that’s only to grow as the days progress.

It will be interesting to see how athletes handle this new opportunity- and responsibility- and what major deals might be on the horizon in the near future and if any Clemson football players are involved in endorsements with national and established brands.