USC quarterback Kedon Slovis signs deal with Klutch Sports
Ryan Kartje (LA Times) — As USC’s star QB, Kedon Slovis is in a position to capitalize on the new landscape of name, image, and likeness, so he’s seeking help on NIL from an agency well acquainted with marketing the biggest star athletes in Los Angeles.
The deal only became possible three weeks earlier on July 1, when the floodgates finally opened on NIL. A handful of other top college quarterbacks have also since signed with agencies to handle using their names and personal brands to make money. Former Santa Ana Mater Dei and current Alabama starting quarterback Bryce Young signed with CAA and, according to Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban, is already nearing seven figures in revenue off NIL deals.
As his third and likely final season at USC approaches, Slovis could see a similar windfall. The Heisman Trophy contender has yet to announce any sponsorships or NIL deals, nor has he posted any advertisements on his social media channels. But a deal with Klutch Sports certainly suggests Slovis plans to at least explore his capacity to profit off his potential stardom.
The selection of companies allowed to use his name, image and likeness is largely up to Slovis. USC’s interim NIL policy, which was put into place to fill the void before the state’s law goes into effect in 2023, only “strongly discourages” athletes from signing deals related to “illegal substances, illegal conduct, or anything else, including but not limited to sports wagering and supplements, that might impact their NCAA eligibility or long-term best interests.”
The policy does, however, bar Slovis and any other USC athletes from wearing USC gear as part of their NIL activities, including uniforms or team apparel. They’re also not allowed to use or display USC logos, trademarks or other intellectual property owned by USC, including any photos or videos produced by the university.
Any deal Klutch Sports might sign on Slovis’ behalf would have to be disclosed to USC, according to the university’s interim policy.
All state laws and NCAA rules governing NIL allow for college athletes to be represented by agents. But the rules specifically bar that representation from being guaranteed a seat at the table in any future negotiations when an athlete decides to turn pro.
latimes.com
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The Big 12 released a statement today saying that the Big 12 Commissioner and 2 board members met with the presidents of Oklahoma and Texas recently to discuss how change the conference structure in a mutually benefical way for Texas and Oklahoma and the other eight member schools.
They’re proposing to give the two schools more money than the others, which might be a good cue for the Pac-12 to consider for paying more to USC, the only true western football superpower and the Pac-12’s biggest draw.
Used to be. I bet Oregon get better tv ratings today.
Oregon’s been good for 20 years and still hasn’t won a single NC. USC’s been good for 120 years, with 11 NCs. No comparison.
Nobody thinks of ORE as a football superpower because they aren’t, and never have been. They’re more like a fashion show.
Everyone thinks of USC as a big football superpower which is going through a big slump, like ALA, ND, OU, OHIO ST, MICH, TEXAS, UF, et al, have all done.
The ORE Ducks have absolutely zippo football glam compared to USC. The Ducks are really popular in the Northwest, but nowhere else.
I just read Arledge’s latest on WeAreSC.com. As with him, my ideas are half baked. After reading and watching over the last few days the shocker of OU and TX to the SEC (and it appears quite clear that it going to happen), it seems clear to me that both OU and TX have leadership committed long term to competing for football championships and that leadership is intelligent, pragmatic (read it rejects the ideological “progressive culture”) and not impressed by (nor idolizes) the Ivys (read it seeks to integrate academics and football; they are not just academics who tolerate football).… Read more »
You know of course, USC will never leave the Pac-12. I just don’t see it, under any circumstances. IMO, USC will likely just sit on its hands and let things happen.
Some suggest that is best anyway. The Pac-12 has already been strengthened by TEXAS and OU heading to the SEC, because the Big 12 has now been reduced to the playpen. The question is, who will pick up their scraps? Such interesting stuff!
I think you and I agree. SC will decide by not making a decision. Not making a decision is a decision. I think SC leadership will let Stanford make its decision. It is awful leadership but it is what SC has in place. My take is the PAC will cease as a Power 5 football power within the next 5-10 years.
This situation as you described it, RJJ, just absolutely sucks.
You made two good points that I had not thought of yet. 1) What are teachers going to think of athletes making money from their popularity with some of them making more money than they do. 2) Wealth redistribution via the California Franchise Tax Board. This made me wonder about what age can a student athlete start talking to NIL agents and when can they sign with NIL agents because a good agent will end up talking about taxes and this may lead some athletes to consider avoiding California. I know many feel that USC being in the entertainment capital… Read more »
John, I think the PAC 12 will do the redistribution. The PAC is the most “woke” of the Power 5. It will take from the stars and redistribute it. The SEC is American, not “woke”, and hence will not engage in redistribution.
I prefer to be optimistic about college football, Pac 12 and USC. The Big 12 has been playing football for only 14 years after the Big 8 and Southwest Conference merged. It shuffled again 7-9 years ago, which included the Pac 12. Nothing to say the Big 10, Big 12 and Pac 12 can’t merge into 2, 16 team conferences. Outside of West Virginia, the Big 12 is a mid west conference. Just because USC hasn’t made a change in HFC doesn’t mean they don’t want to when the time is right. Flash forward 6 months, SC has a respected… Read more »
Brilliant analysis, RJJ. Once again, USC is in the sad position of having its worst, most liberal, president ever in SC’s long history as a university. This personnel fact could not be the case at a worse possible time; when the college football landscape is soon to become a giant tossed salad.
Pretty amazing — Sixty-six past, present and future USC students are competing at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, far more than any school in the nation this Olympics and the Trojans’ most ever in a single Olympics. The Trojans represent 33 National Olympic Committees in 12 different sports.
The PAC 12 and Big 12 can link up and it would still be a mediocre football conference. Oregon a d USC will still carry the banner with no other real chance for a consistent winner. USC needs to get out from under the conference and link up with other blue bloods. They won’t, but they should.
Bruce Feldman & Sam Kahn, Jr (The Athletic) — Texas and Oklahoma will send letters to the Big 12 on Monday informing the league that they do not intend to renew its grant-of-rights agreement upon expiration in 2025, multiple sources told The Athletic. Such a move is the next necessary step in clearing a path for the two schools to leave the conference and join the SEC, starting a massive ripple effect throughout college athletics. Reaching out to the Pac-12 about a potential 20-school merger was discussed during Thursday’s Big 12 leadership call. Such a move seems to be a more… Read more »
Here’s a different take about the possible TEXAS/OU move that I hadn’t come across before from Jay Greeson (Chat Times): “Do I think it will happen? No, because I think Oklahoma and Texas leaked this to improve their stakes and status in the Big 12, because without the Sooners and the Longhorns, the Big 12 is garbage in football. Plus, I think if they tried to strong-arm their way into the SEC, Congress would get involved — especially the legislators from Kansas, Iowa, and a few other states that would be impacted. “So as the reports raged, the reminder here… Read more »
No wonder TEXAS is eager to try its luck in a new conference, even a tougher conference:
OU has nailed down a whopping 14 Big 12 football titles just since 2000.
Mac Engel (Ft Worth Star-Telegram) — Expect both Texas and Oklahoma to each pay the Big 12 $80 million, which allow those schools to break their contract with the league. Expect both to be in the SEC by this time next year. Threatening a person’s livelihood is no joke, and what Texas and Oklahoma are doing could cause irreparable harm to a lot of people. People from TCU to West Virginia to Texas Tech are never going to forget this, and while they don’t have the answer they want they all need to figure out what comes next. The answer… Read more »
it appears UT and OK to the SEC is a done deal. As I was shocked by this move, nothing that will happen next will surprise me. I think TX teams joining the PAC is crazy. I offered my solution- and that one makes a lot of sense to me. I like NE back to the Big 12 but the problem is money. The Big 10 pays legit money to its teams. The new Big 12 will clearly be a step down. The PAC is at the bottom, so moving from the PAC to the Big 12 is not such… Read more »
To bad they didn’t put back together the old south western conference, Texas, Oklahoma, USC, UCLA, Stanford, Cal, AZ, AZ St, then throw in Colorado, Utah or BYU. Several other teams could come in also like San Diego St, New Mexico, TCU, Baylor, Ok St. The Pac12 is on life support right now, without a shakeup of some kind it will dissolve. Maybe they could come up with a Northwestern conference for Oregon and WA.
ESPN NFL reporter Rich Cimini – Alijah Vera-Tucker’s contract is worth $15.885 mil of fully guaranteed money, with an $8.9 mil signing bonus and a fifth-year team option.
Per its current contract with the ACC, if ND decides to join a conference full-on (and I don’t believe they will be forced to, like most everyone else), it has to join the ACC, and not the Big Ten, for those who are wondering where ND shakes out in all this.
Of course ND could always just break that contract with the ACC too, like everyone else will be doing to CYA.
It seems the location of ND being in Indiana, the Big10 would be the logical place to land if they join a conference, and it would make the Big10 a stronger conference. But doesn’t ND have a sweet deal with NBC now and couldn’t they make it sweeter for ND to stay independent?
Pete Thamel – Sources: “The ACC and other leagues have made inquiries — through back channels — to Oklahoma and Texas. The schools are still expected to start the process of joining the SEC next week. The Texas and OU backchannel communication to the SEC has been going on for more than a year…”
Wonder how they will realign the east and west divisions in the SEC. If this goes through the Pac 12 and Big 12 can only add Group of 5 conference teams.
I would say that if TEXAS and OU go to the SEC, the Big 12 is ruined, and the Pac-12 gets shoved back too, and is just hoping CU and UTAH don’t decide to cave to any heavy Big 12 overtures.
Bleacher Report CFB
A Texas legislator has filed a bill to require state approval for a state university to change athletic conferences
This move comes amid reports that Texas and Oklahoma have interest in joining the SEC.
bleacherreport.com
OOH, Who has more political power? UT or the combined TT, TCU, TAM, Baylor. Sounds like a good ole Texas brawl!🤘
I like CFB as much as anyone, but doesn’t the Texas legislature have more important things to worry about?
Texas and Football, what else is more important out there?
They have democrats flying around the nation spreading covid and they can’t even prevent that.
One Ranger, one gang of Democrap thieves….
Yahoo Sports Question to JT Daniels: USC and Georgia are both tradition-rich programs. Are there more similarities or differences between the two? Daniels answer: ‘USC cares about football; Georgia cares a lot about football…’ “There are more differences in the areas, and the programs are not too far apart. When you’re in Georgia and especially Athens, it’s all football. Georgia is a great school, too, and I think that goes unnoticed. It was unnoticed by me until I got here, because it is really a phenomenal academic institution. “Georgia cares a lot about football. USC cares about football and they… Read more »