WWE selects its inaugural NIL participants | Image courtesy of WWE
WWE has announced that 15 college athletes will participate in the organization’s newly formed NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) program that provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE. The athletes come from seven NCAA conferences and four different sports. WWE is calling their new initiative “Next In Line.”
The 15 athletes announced today will join with Olympic Gold Medalist and University of Minnesota wrestler, Gable Steveson, who was earlier announced as a participant in the program.
The newly announced participants:
- Carlos Aviles, of Ventura, Calif., a 6-foot-6, 305-pound track & field athlete from Ohio State University
- Haley Cavinder, of Gilbert, Ariz., a 5-foot-6 basketball player from Fresno State University
- Hanna Cavinder, of Gilbert, Ariz., a 5-foot-6 basketball player from Fresno State University
- A.J. Ferrari of Dallas, Texas, a 6-foot, 200-pound wrestler from Oklahoma State University
- Lexi Gordon of Fort Worth, Texas, a 6-foot basketball player from Duke University
- Aleeya Hutchins of Toronto, Canada, a 5-foot-5 track & field athlete from Wake Forest University
- John Krahn of Riverside, Calif., a 7-foot, 400-pound football player from Portland State University
- Glen Logan of Kenner, La., a 6-foot-5, 305-pound football player from LSU
- Mason Parris of Lawrenceburg, Ind., a 6-foot-2, 275-pound wrestler from the University of Michigan
- Masai Russel of Potomac, Md., a 5-foot-5 track & field athlete from the University of Kentucky
- Jon Seaton of Hillsborough, N.J., a 6-foot-1, 285-pound football player from Elon University
- Joe Spivak of Lombard, Ill., a 6-foot, 300-pound football player from Northwestern University
- Dalton Wagner of Spring Grove, Ill., a 6-foot-9, 330-pound football player from the University of Arkansas
- Riley White of Hoover, Ala., a 5-foot-6 track & field athlete from the University of Alabama
- Isaac Odugbesan of Lagos, Nigeria, a 6-foot-4, 275-pound football player from the University of Alabama
A released statement from WWE indicates the purpose of the program: “The comprehensive 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.”
The participants will gain access to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Florida. They’ll also receive help and instruction with brand building, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. After completing the Next In Line program, “select athletes” may be offered a WWE contract.
