It’s seemingly a match made in NIL heaven, and now UConn star big man Adama Sanogo has finally cashed in.
Sanogo appears to have a name, image and likeness deal with Sunoco, appearing in a video on social media with the gas station company on Tuesday.
“What a crazy ride. I’m teaming up with my No. 1 superfan Sunoco to do a signed jersey collab. So to my biggest fan and everyone who cheered for me, thank you. I have a feeling people are going to know my name now.”
The only way to get your official signed Sanogo x Sunoco jersey is by heading over to our Instagram: https://t.co/QHmnvUUoFO pic.twitter.com/ipGkGdT3xg
— Sunoco (@SunocoRacing) April 11, 2023
Despite having a tremendous season and earning plenty of name recognition, Sanogo had previously been unable to cash in on name, image and likeness opportunities because standard F-1 visa rules prohibit international students from working off-campus unless it is part of their academic program of study.
In March, Connecticut senators Richard Blumenthal and Chris Murphy wrote a letter to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas calling for a policy change that would allow international students to benefit from NIL opportunities. Blumenthal brought up the issue again in a U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. “We are indeed of looking at the issue very carefully and I hope quickly,” Mayorkas responded. “We’ll move as quickly as we can.”
It appears Sanogo has found a way through those issues, as Sunoco is offering a signed Sanogo jersey to lucky winners who like and tag a friend in their Instagram post, and follow the Sunoco account.
Sunoco first revealed a possible partnership with the big man when they posted: “We love to see it! See you Monday!” with a video of confetti over a “Sanogo” logo on April 1 after UConn’s win over Miami in the national semifinals.
We love to see it! See you Monday! 😎 pic.twitter.com/dt4Gg1KMhu
— Sunoco (@SunocoRacing) April 2, 2023
They’ve featured Sanogo in several other social media posts since then.
Sanogo was well-known to UConn fans at the beginning of the season, but he earned even more name recognition after averaging 19.2 points per game during the NCAA Tournament and winning Final Four Most Outstanding Player honors.
On3.com, a site that tracks name, image and likeness deals for college athletes, estimates that Sanogo has an NIL valuation of about $776,000, which is seventh in all of college basketball in their…
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