How Rayquan Smith Became the King of NIL

10/12/22 • 42 min

In this episode, we're joined by Rayquan Smith, the "King of NIL." Rayquan is a decathlete at Norfolk State and previously was a dual-sport athlete who also played football for the Spartans.
Rayquan received the Hustle Award at the 2022 NIL Awards and closed 70 NIL deals in Year 1 of NIL. He joins us to share:

How he found his agent, including the questions he thinks other athletes should ask before signing with an agent
Advice for reaching out to companies to land NIL deals
How he's helped educate potential brand partners on NIL
His strategy for negotiating with brands
How his school has supported his NIL efforts
What he wants out of Year 2 of NIL
How he became the "King of NIL"
...and more!

Check out his website and merchandise at KingofNIL.com, and follow Rayquan on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

You can follow The Players' Platform podcast on Instagram: @playersplatformpod.
Kristi Dosh: @SportsBizMiss
Emily Cole: @EmilyCole

How he found his agent, including the questions he thinks other athletes should ask before signing with an agent
Advice for reaching out to companies to land NIL deals
How he's helped educate potential brand partners on NIL
His strategy for negotiating with brands
How his school has supported his NIL efforts
What he wants out of Year 2 of NIL
How he became the "King of NIL"
...and more!

Check out his website and merchandise at KingofNIL.com, and follow Rayquan on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

You can follow The Players' Platform podcast on Instagram: @playersplatformpod.
Kristi Dosh: @SportsBizMiss
Emily Cole: @EmilyCole

Previous Episode

Impacting the Next Generation Through NIL

In this episode, we're joined by UNC women's basketball athlete Deja Kelly. Deja has seen incredible success with NIL, inking partnerships with major brands such as Outback Steakhouse, Beats by Dre, Dunkin Donuts and more.
However, it's not all about flashy brands and dollar signs for Deja. She's been very strategic about using her NIL to have a positive impact on younger athletes and to support single mothers, having been raised by one herself.
We chat with Deja about:

How she prepared for NIL last year
The partnerships she's leveraging to benefit single mothers
Developing her camps with a focus on life skills, business skills and financial literary, and not just basketball
Balancing NIL during the season
Working with Forever 21 and Sports Illustrated to showcase her personality
Taking equity in companies to create generational wealth

You can learn more about Deja's camps at DejaKellyCamp.com.
Follow Deja on Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter.
You can follow The Players' Platform podcast on Instagram: @playersplatformpod.
Kristi Dosh: @SportsBizMiss
Emily Cole: @EmilyCole

You can follow The Players' Platform podcast on Instagram: @playersplatformpod.
Kristi Dosh: @SportsBizMiss
Emily Cole: @EmilyCole

Next Episode

How Leah Clapper Became an Entrepreneur Through NIL

This episode, we're joined by University of Florida gymnast Leah Clapper, who has definitely made the most of NIL so far. Not only had Leah done numerous brand deals, she's also consulted with companies on their NIL strategies, built her own boardgame and started her own NIL education company for student athletes. She's even the TA for our host Kristi Dosh's NIL classes at UF.
Leah is currently getting her second masters degree at Florida while competing in her final season of eligibility as a gymnast. She shares with us:

How creating content with athletes in other sports at gymnastics has been a win for everyone involved
How NIL has changed her academic and career path
Her entrepreneurial ambitions
Where she sees herself in 10 years
Why she wants to live overseas after graduation
How athletes can hone in on their passions as they create content
The idea for her boardgame and how she created, marketed and sold it
How she started NIL Island and how she plans to help other student athletes through it
...and so much more!

Athletes, check out these resources on Leah's NIL Island site:

You can follow Leah on Instagram, TikTok and Twitter.

You can follow The Players' Platform podcast on Instagram: @playersplatformpod.
Kristi Dosh: @SportsBizMiss
Emily Cole: @EmilyCole