Pitt runs on Dunkin’: NIL deal puts Panthers athletes on national stage
Since the NCAA approved its name, image and likeness policy on June 30, 2021, student athletes and companies big and small around the country have worked to develop mutually beneficial relationships. At the University of Pittsburgh, student athletes have used the new opportunities to forge relationships with local companies and brands in exchange for financial compensation.
But on this week, a new NIL agreement was reached with an international brand, Dunkin’, in which the company established deals with 15 student-athletes at Pitt across several programs.
The players include Brandon Hill, SirVocea Dennis and MJ Devonshire from football; Nike Sibande, Blake Hinson and Nelly Cummings from men’s basketball; Marley Washenitz and Aislin Malcolm from women’s basketball; Juliana Dalton from women’s volleyball; Kenzie Evers from women’s soccer; Emily Brown from cross country; Kayla Lane and Sarah Seamans from softball; and Endeyah Lane and Imani Clark from women’s track and field.
The deal was brokered by the Consult Box, which brought in Jaster, a creative agency that works with studentathletes to develop their own personal brands, to incorporate Pitt student-athletes into the doughnut and coffee company’s campaign.
“Jaster partnered with The Consult Box to help Dunkin’ launch this NIL campaign to amplify its advertisements towards hiring,” said Jordon Rooney, Jaster CEO. “Dunkin’ Heartland Restaurant Group has 70-plus locations in the area. We identified the athletes, coordinated the campaign, and developed all of the creative. The main message is that Dunkin’ is hiring. We identified 15 Pitt athletes for the campaign who will create photos, videos, and TikToks with their experiences working in Dunkin’.”
It is the first major international brand to form an NIL deal with several of the athletes.
“When I first heard about NIL, I wanted to learn as much as I could,” Mr. Hill said. “I feel like this is a big
opportunity for all student-athletes. Almost every school’s football program is bringing in the most money to contribute to athletics.
“But it’s also not all about the money. Last year, Kenny Pickett had a deal with the Oaklander Hotel on campus and he would take his linemen out for dinner every Friday. Not everybody who plays college football has [financial security]. Being able to be blessed with an opportunity to bless somebody else, there’s no greater feeling than that.”
Each one of the student-athletes has a different part of the campaign to promote the company’s hiring efforts.
“Some [student-athletes] are doing videos about what it’s like working at Dunkin’,” Mr. Rooney explained. “Some did challenges to see how fast they could ice doughnuts and make doughnuts. Brandon [Hill] found a way to work it with his random acts of kindness campaign to give out doughnuts to students.”
“When we first met, we talked about how we could build my brand,” Mr. Hill said about his talks with Jaster. “They asked me about my personality. I was honest and thought I like to be happy and upbeat all the time. We came up with the idea for my random acts of kindness campaign. I’m an out-of-state kid. When I came here, I didn’t have anybody, but the people around Pittsburgh and on campus helped me feel love and energy. That makes me want to find ways to give back to them.”
As part of his campaign, Mr. Hill, a defensive back from Apopka, Fla., wanted to hand out doughnuts to students and exhibit other acts of kindness.
“Back home, there were times when I was a kid when people helped my mom out,” Mr. Hill said. They would ride me to school, pick me up from school or practice, or help watch me when my mother worked late. Sometimes when me, my mom and my brother didn’t have anything to eat, people would bring food over and make sure we ate. Stuff like that goes a long way, and I feel like moments like that are why I’m the person I am today.”
But it’s not just second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference players like Mr. Hill who will be tagged by a big brand such as Dunkin’ in a campaign.
“The biggest thing with NIL that a lot of players and brands need to realize is that on-field performance doesn’t necessarily convert to off-field brand metrics,” Mr. Rooney explained.
“You may be a great player, but you need to engage an audience as well. So for us, we wanted to find a great mixture of those who were great in their sport, but also had a great on-camera presence, great personalities, and be great at engaging with their social audience. They can’t use their Pitt branding [because of NIL rules] so they need to be able to stand on their own and properly communicate that message.”
Other student-athletes, like Mr. Washenitz, a freshman guard on the women’s basketball team, contribute to the campaign in different ways.
“I shot a video of me making two refreshers,” Ms. Washenitz said. “We’re supposed to help promote working for Dunkin’. Our workers at the Dunkin’ on campus see a lot of students go in and out of there. So it was fun doing a piece for a part of Pitt’s campus that almost everyone uses.”
Ms. Washenitz was a high school basketball phenom from Fairmont, W.Va., who decommitted from West Virginia University before deciding to enroll at Pitt — and NIL played a major factor in that decision.
“This is my first official NIL deal,” Ms. Washenitz said. “During high school, I wasn’t allowed to make money because of West Virginia’s laws and restraints. When I stepped on campus here, I was trying to take advantage of as many opportunities as I can. That was a reason I picked Pitt.”
Ms. Washenitz wants to go into sports broadcasting, so Pitt’s academic programs also played a big role in her decision to play for the Panthers. She sees a chance to combine opportunities in her studies and her chances to build her brand as a personality on social media.
“My future dream job is to be an ESPN sports broadcaster,” Ms. Washenitz said. “A lot of people know Pittsburgh is well known for broadcasting. It’s close to home, so that will allow me to have connections from home and from living in Pittsburgh for NIL opportunities. As I looked at different schools, Pitt had a good deal more to offer than other schools for my academic future. That was a big eye-opener for me when I toured to see that there were a lot of opportunities on and off the basketball court.”
Ms. Washenitz already has worked on a documentary about mental health struggles for young student-athletes that will air between late October and early November. She also has more than 43,700 followers on TikTok, all before she has played a single game for the Panthers. She also revealed that the NIL deal with Dunkin’ gave her $500 in store credit, as well as a check for $750.
“That’s the same amount I get for my monthly stipend,” Ms. Washenitz said. “That’s a big help to us as student-athletes. It’s huge. College coaches have been getting paid for doing their jobs and got chances to market themselves. Just with NIL starting, I feel like I can’t imagine working without NIL opportunities for all the work we put in as student-athletes.”
Ms. Washenitz, 18, said the best part of the NIL deal is the potential for growth. Mr. Sibande, a senior guard for Pitt’s men’s basketball team, agreed that the compensation wasn’t the biggest thing he took out of the opportunity.
“I’m being compensated, but that’s not what it’s about,” he said. “It’s about the experience and the partnership with the brand. That’s a real opportunity. It opens up doors to other brands and companies to get to know who I am as a person. That will help me get in contact with other brands. This deal will be amazing for me. I’ve had a couple of smaller NIL deals. But those were under smaller companies. This is my first worldwide big NIL deal.”
It’s not lost upon any of the studentathletes how quickly college athletics has changed since the introduction of NIL possibilities. Those interviewed talked about forging their own paths with NIL deals since the opportunity of making money as a student-athlete within the rules of the NCAA had been impossible until last year.
“It’s actually crazy to me,” Mr. Sibande said. “People used to get suspended and you wouldn’t be able to play for getting deals with companies. Now on a broad scale, it’s crazy to me that a brand can reach out to you and work out a deal that helps you. It’s not even all about the money; it’s about the experience to develop relationships, learn about networking and what it’s like to represent a worldwide brand.”
“Last year I started playing a lot more football, so I feel like now is the perfect time,” Mr. Hill said about the NIL deal’s timing. “I can give back to people in a city that helped me and keep playing football while making connections with brands and companies. You never know who you might call on someday.”
While Pitt cannot take part in developing any of the relationships for the student-athletes, per NCAA policy, the university can provide educational opportunities to help them understand the best practices in forging relationships and developing brands.
“They have to stay out of NIL talks, but they have lots of people who teach us about the rules,” Ms. Washenitz said about Pitt’s role in NIL opportunities. “We have a group called Life Skills, led by [Pitt senior associate athletic director] Penny Semaia, who helps us understand the NIL rules so that we take advantage of opportunities and learn how to not violate any rules that could endanger our eligibility as athletes. Between them and Alliance 412 [a private entity that connects Pitt athletes to opportunities], we’ve learned a lot.”
NIL opportunities are still in an early phase in college sports. Across the country, some student-athletes are reported to be receiving more than $2 million in collective NIL deals, such as quarterbacks Bryce Young at the University of Alabama, C.J. Stroud at Ohio State University, Caleb Williams of the University of Southern California, and Spencer Rattler at the University of South Carolina.
Former Pitt wide receiver Jordan Addison transferred to Southern Cal this year and has signed a lucrative NIL deal with United Airlines.
If Pitt student-athletes are to get such lucrative NIL opportunities, it starts with getting national brands like Dunkin’ having successful campaigns.
“This is just the start to something bigger,” Mr. Sibande said. “Thanks to Dunkin’ for allowing me to be part of something this big. They’re helping people get connected around the world. It’s a positive thing for sports in the college world. It can get crazy, but it’s worth it, for sure.”