University of Miami quarterback D'Eriq King has been a leader in the name, image and likeness space, signing three deals on the first day things could happen, unveiling a merchandise line and being the first to suggest he'll spread the love around by splitting money to his teammates.
On Monday, King became the first college athlete to do an endorsement deal with a professional team, as the Florida Panthers announced they signed him.
As part of the deal, King will come to Panthers games and participate in cross branding. He will also build a merchandise collection and put his name on a food item inside the team's arena.
King enters his senior year at Miami after transferring from Houston prior to the 2020 season. King threw for 2,686 yards with 23 touchdowns to just 5 interceptions in his lone season as the Hurricanes quarterback, but it ended after suffering a torn ACL in the team's bowl game.
The Panthers don't want to stop at King. On Monday, they posted a link on their website for other college athletes to apply to be team endorsers. The application asks for school, sport and Twitter, Instagram and TikTok handles.
King's current deals include College Hunks Moving Company, Murphy Auto Group, Dreamfield, The Wharf and Panini America.
Although more lenient state laws in Florida allowed the Panthers to have more fans than most, a lot of revenue was lost from COVID restrictions. The Panthers haven't won a playoff series since the 2011-12 season.
Please refer to our Florida Panthers odds as the 2021-22 NHL season is underway.
