WWE Announces 15 Athletes Signed To NIL Program, Triple H Comments
WWE has announced that several college athletes have signed NIL deals with the company.
The WWE NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program is designed to recruit talented college athletes while they are in college and give them a future with WWE if that’s something they want to pursue in the future.
Triple H, who is WWE’s Chief Content Officer, tweeted about the college athletes that the company has signed while also posting a video about them.
“Fifteen Superstars in the making from 14 universities, nine NCAA conferences and seven different sports…
Excited to welcome the third class of stand-out college athletes into the #WWENIL program. @WWERecruit”
Fifteen Superstars in the making from 14 universities, nine NCAA conferences and seven different sports…
Excited to welcome the third class of stand-out college athletes into the #WWENIL program. @WWERecruitpic.twitter.com/nluQm1PxsD
— Triple H (@TripleH) January 26, 2023
The full press release from WWE.com can be found below.
STAMFORD, Conn., January 26, 2023 – WWE today revealed the third class of 15 college athletes who will join the company’s award-winning NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program – “Next In Line™” – that provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE.
The class is highlighted by two-time NCAA All American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet from Penn State University, four-time NCAA National Champion thrower Turner Washington from Arizona State University and NCAA Champion hurdler Alia Armstrong from Louisiana State University.
The third “Next In Line” class includes athletes from 14 universities, nine NCAA conferences and seven different sports. The program welcomes its first athletes from women’s wrestling, soccer, tennis, and softball.
| Name | College | Sport | Height/Weight | Hometown |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abby Jacobs | South Alabama | Soccer | 5’7 | Gulf Breeze, Fla. |
| Alexandra Jaksec | Mary Washington | Tennis | 5’4 | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| Alia Armstrong | LSU | Track & Field | 5’4 | Baton Rouge, La. |
| Cameron Jones | Cincinnati | Football | 6’8, 320 lbs. | Hindman, Ky. |
| Dee Beckwith | Kentucky | Football | 6’5, 235 lbs. | Florence, Ala. |
| Greg Kerkvliet | Penn State | Wrestling | 6’3, 250 lbs. | Inver Grove Heights, Minn. |
| Isaiah Iton | Rutgers | Football | 6’2, 290 lbs. | Houston, Texas |
| Jaiden Fields | Georgia | Softball | 5’9 | Kennesaw, Ga. |
| Landon Jackson | Arkansas | Football | 6’7, 275 lbs. | Texarkana, Texas |
| Mady Aulbach | Youngstown State | Basketball | 5’3 | Slippery Rock, Pa. |
| Nick Dawkins | Penn State | Football | 6’4, 315 lbs. | Allentown, Pa. |
| Otoniel Badjana | Pittsburgh | Track & Field | 5’11, 245 lbs. | Lisbon, Portugal |
| Peyton Prussin | Life University | Wrestling | 5’4 | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| Tori Ortiz | Oklahoma State | Track & Field | 5’9 | Batavia, Ill. |
| Turner Washington | Arizona State | Track & Field | 6’5, 290 lbs. | Tuscon, Ariz. |
The “Next In Line” program has signed 46 college athletes since its inception in December 2021 including the program’s first signee, Olympic Gold medalist Gable Steveson. The program serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds. WWE has signed athletes from 13 different sports including 35 members of Power-Five conferences who have collectively earned 40 NCAA All American Honors and 12 NCAA National Championships.
All athlete partnerships feature access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract.
The program’s athletes boast impressive social media followings with more than 10 million combined followers on TikTok and nearly three million combined followers on Instagram. WWE currently has one of the largest fanbases on TikTok with 20.9 million followers and more than 27 million Instagram followers.
Learn more about the “Next In Line” program at wwerecruit.com.