Nike signed 11 college athletes across three schools in the past day—six Georgia football players, three Ohio State football players, and two South Carolina basketball players—marking the fastest expansion of its Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program since launch. The athletes include South Carolina's Chloe Kitts and Joyce Edwards on the women's basketball side and Ohio State's Chris Henry Jr., Bo Jackson, and Jermaine Mathews Jr. on football. Georgia's six names have not been disclosed.
The Blue Ribbon Elite program, originally positioned as a select endorsement tier for professional athletes, now functions as a pipeline deal. Nike is paying college athletes before they turn pro, a structural shift that mirrors how talent agencies moved upstream into AAU basketball in the 2000s. The company is embedding itself at the scholarship level rather than waiting for the NFL Combine or the WNBA Draft. South Carolina women's basketball went 38-0 last season and starts the current year ranked No. 1; Georgia football is 12-2 and preparing for the Sugar Bowl; Ohio State is 13-2 and in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Nike is signing winners while they are still on campus.
The timing matters. The NCAA's settlement in *House v. NCAA* allows schools to pay athletes directly starting in the 2025-26 academic year, with a $20.5 million annual cap per school. That cap does not include third-party NIL deals. Nike's Blue Ribbon Elite contracts sit outside the university ledger, meaning the company can offer guaranteed money that does not count against the school's revenue-share limit. An athletic director at a Power Four school can now tell a recruit: full scholarship, $500,000 in revenue share, and a Nike deal on top. The recruit's alternative is a school without the Nike relationship, where the NIL money comes from a booster collective with no brand upside.
Nike is also learning who will sell shoes. Chloe Kitts is a 6-foot-3 forward who averaged 12.3 points and 7.5 rebounds last season; Joyce Edwards is a freshman ranked the No. 2 recruit in the 2024 class. Both play for Dawn Staley, whose South Carolina program draws 18,000 fans per game and has a prime-time ESPN deal. Nike is signing athletes who will appear on national television 30-plus times before they graduate. The company is treating college sports as a media buy, not a charity.
The Ohio State signings reveal the cascade. Bo Jackson, nephew of the Auburn and Raiders legend, joined the program in October. Jermaine Mathews Jr. followed in November. Chris Henry Jr., son of the former Bengals receiver, signed this week. All three are freshmen or sophomores. Nike is not waiting for the NFL Draft to decide who gets a contract. The company is signing them now, while they are in Columbus, while they are wearing Ohio State uniforms, while their fathers' names still carry weight with fans who remember the 2000s.
What to watch: Nike's next moves at USC, Texas, and Alabama, all of which have incoming recruiting classes ranked in the top 10 and all of which have Nike apparel contracts. The company's Blue Ribbon Elite roster now includes college athletes in football, men's basketball, and women's basketball. Expect additional signings before National Signing Day in February, particularly at schools where Nike holds the kit deal and where the football or basketball team is ranked in the top 25. Also watch whether Adidas or Under Armour respond with similar programs at their own contract schools—Adidas holds Miami, Kansas, and Louisville; Under Armour holds Notre Dame and UCLA.
Nike is no longer waiting for athletes to leave college. It is paying them to stay visible while they are still there.
The takeaway
Nike signed **11** college athletes in one day, using NIL to secure talent before pro contracts and bypass NCAA revenue-share caps.
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