Clemson football: Will Shipley announces ‘Ship Happens’ NIL merchandise deal

Dabo Swinney has coined several catchphrases over the course of his career building the Clemson football program and now, he’s given a player an opportunity to make some money as a result.

Swinney was asked about Will Shipley on his weekly Tiger Call-In Show a couple of weeks ago and he gave an idea for a potential merchandise idea.

"“We need to get some tee shirts you know Ship Happens. I can see it right now #dealwithit,” said Swinney."

Little did we know just a couple of weeks later that Swinney’s comment would result in an NIL opportunity for Will Shipley.

Shipley announced on Twitter Thursday afternoon that he had partnered with Tiger Town Graphics for some exclusive merchandise. He also announced that a portion of all sales of those shirts would go to benefit the Levine Children’s Hospital in Charlotte, NC.

The pictures show two different t-shirts, one that is gray with the phrase ‘SH1P HAPPENS’ with Shipley’s signature and another that is purple with white letters and orange trim that has his name and number.

Will Shipley is going to leave the Clemson football program with some nice funds built up

Do you remember a little more than a decade ago when Clemson had C.J. Spiller and James Davis as a running back duo? Shirts with the phrase “If the thunder don’t get ya, the lightning will” sold at an extremely high rate. Of course, that was before the time of NIL.

Now, looking at Shipley and what he’s already showing as a freshman, it’s clear to see that he has a bright future ahead and that he is going to be one of the more popular Clemson football players for at least the next couple of seasons.

The result? He could leave the program with a nice amount of money in the bank.

The freshman is already making NIL deals and it shouldn’t be surprising to see local companies wanting to partner with Shipley when you consider what he is already doing and what the expectation is for him moving forward.