NIL NETWORK INSIGHT
Recap: TJ Calloway, the owner of men’s apparel brand Onward Reserve and a Georgia alum, plans to sign contracts with incoming freshman quarterback Brock Vandagriff and junior placekicker Jack Podlesny. Track star Matthew Boling, golfer Trent Phillips, and baseball player Connor Tate are also expected to sign deals. This deal could be signed as early as July 1 when Georgia’s NIL bill goes into effect.
Observations: This is a peak at what the craziness may look like on July 1 for the most marketable athletes in the NCAA. This “waiting game” reminds me a bit of the recruiting process and I imagine that July 1 will be “signing day”. I’m hoping that athletes take their time and review the opportunities in front of them instead of just taking the first contract that comes along.
One thing for sure: The first of July and the weeks following are going to a be a flurry of brands and agents jockeying for position to sign the top athletes.
On July 1, student-athletes in Georgia will be able to profit off their own name, image, and likeness. And a pair of Georgia football players are prepared to take advantage. According to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, Georgia alumn and Dawgs’ fan TJ Calloway, owner of men’s apparel brand Onward Reserve, plans to sign contracts with freshman quarterback Brock Vandagriff and junior placekicker Jack Podlesny. Track star Matthew Boling, golfer Trent Phillips, and baseball player Connor Tate are also expected to sign deals.
Podlesny returns after being named a Lou Groza Award semifinalist and the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl offensive MVP in his first season as Georgia’s starting kicker. In the 24-21 Peach Bowl win over Cincinnati, Podlesny connected on three of three field-goal opportunities and made both PATs. His first two makes, from 32 and 38 yards out, were routine but he also came on and nailed a 53-yard game-winner with just three seconds left. It put the Bulldogs up 22-21 at the time. It was also the longest game-winning field goal from a Bulldog place-kicker since Kevin Butler in 1984. Butler hit a 60-yard field goal that year to knock off No. 2 Clemson inside Sanford Stadium. Stepping into the role left behind by 2019 Lou Groza Award-winner Rodrigo Blankenship, Podlesny connected on 13 of 16 field-goal tries last season with three makes of 50 yards or more.
