paved the way for college athletes to be compensated for their talents, it has been open season for businesses doing deals with NCAA stars — including trading card companies that can now produce licensed cards featuring college players. Before NIL, companies such as Panini and Topps would secure contracts with athletes as soon as they declared for the pros.
That hasn’t stopped the biggest card companies from going all-in. Panini — which has signed Quinn Ewers, who is competing with Manning for the Texas job, and Connecticut basketball star Donovan Clingan to deals — has gradually grown its business while watching the market develop. Lately, it has signed deals with top high school recruits, including Tre Johnson, a top-five basketball recruit in the Class of 2024 who plays for Link Academy in Branson, Mo.
“If you go look at the trading card customer base and the demographic, it’s mostly young males,” said Jason Belzer, founder of Student Athlete NIL, an agency that connects brands with athletes. “But now that there’s an opportunity to really empower young girls to really engage and follow their favorite softball athlete or favorite gymnast, it’s a huge opportunity and a huge market to tap that trading cards have not traditionally reached.
“Caleb Williams is going to the first major test case, since he’s going No. 1 overall,” Hunter said. “I’d like to see the price of that card next April.”
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