You'll be seeing Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei on your television this fall -- and not always during a college football game in which he's trying to lead the Tigers to victory. Uiagalelei told Ross Dellenger of Sports Illustrated that he has struck a deal with Dr. Pepper to appear in their national ad campaign to be featured in the company's "Fansville" commercials, which have also featured former college greats Brian Bosworth and Eddie George.
"Every time I turn on the TV every Saturday, I always see a commercial with Dr. Pepper," Uiagalelei told Sports Illustrated. "When they reached out to me, it was a no-brainer."
The story reveals that Uiagalelei "filmed the commercial during a two-hour shooting in the lobby of a Clemson-area hotel while wearing a nondescript, logo-less orange jersey." South Carolina's state NIL law prohibits the use of uniforms or intellectual property (i.e. logos) from being used.
The financial specifics of the agreement were not released. Uiagalelei will be Dr. Pepper's first deal with an active college football player in the name, image and likeness era. This partnership will be the quarterback's third deal, however; he has two campaigns already with fast food restaurant Bojangles and NFT platform Candy Digital.
It was only a matter of time before Uiagalelei signed an NIL deal with a massive brand. Though he started only two games in 2020 for Trevor Lawrence, Uiagalelei projects to be one of college football's biggest stars by the end of the season. Caesar's Sportsbook gives him the second-best odds to win the Heisman Trophy at +700.
Big-name quarterbacks are signing major NIL deals left and right. Alabama quarterback Bryce Young has apparently already made nearly seven figures in endorsement deals, according to his coach Nick Saban. Miami quarterback D'Eriq King also just signed to a deal with the Florida Panthers of the NHL.
