Draftly, Inc. is working in conjunction with Rosenhaus Sports to coordinate an NFT drop for four University of Miami football players.
The Miami football program has been one of the leading college athletic programs in the still newly founded NIL space. NFTs (non-fungible tokens) have been shaking up the digital landscape since the early months of 2021. The novel combination encompassing two markets where we’re still determining how high the ceiling can be is a unique opportunity to push the limits in both areas.
The four Miami players participating in partnership with Draftly are Tyler Van Dyke (starting quarterback), Leonard Taylor (5-star freshman and defensive tackle), Zion Nelson (early-round NFL Draft prospect and offensive tackle), and Will Mallory (NFL Draft Prospect and tight-end). Each player will issue twenty rare and one super-rare digital trading card NFTs.
We’ve already seen professional athletes capitalize in the NFT space, such as a LeBron James video clip selling for six figures through NBA Top Shot. However, this collaboration between Draftly and the four UM athletes is the first occurrence of a group of college football teammates banding together for a joint NFT drop. The NFTs will be released on the OpenSeas NFT Marketplace on Friday, November 12th, before the Hurricanes’ rivalry game against Florida State on Saturday.
Draftly is a platform assisting high school and college athletes in producing their own NFTs as one of the many means available to monetize their name, image, and likeness. The NFT market has continued to expand at an incredible rate all year. Still, it remains a complicated concept for many to wrap their minds around. Think of NFTs as digital collectibles with public ledgers indicating unique ownership. They can be digital pieces of art, videos, photographs, or even digital trading cards. NFTs have great potential to help college athletes continue to profit off their name, image, and likeness.