Hansel Enmanuel is a Division I hooper, social media sensation, and NIL machine — Boardroom breaks down his portfolio.
If you know college hoops, you’ve heard of Hansel Enmanuel. Shoot, even if you don’t pay attention to the sport at this level, there’s a good chance you know him.
Enmanuel — who lost an arm to amputation after a childhood accident — gained popularity in high school, having multiple clips of him playing basketball go viral. Originally from the Dominican Republic but playing his final two HS seasons at Life Christian Academy in Kissimmee, Fla., Enmanuel didn’t let his limitations stop him from averaging 25.9 points, 11 rebounds, 6.9 assists, and 3.4 blocks per game as a senior. He even found himself playing in the Drew League last summer.
As a three-star recruit, Hansel committed to play for Northwestern State coming out of high school, and appeared in 20 games for the Demons as a freshman. But after his head coach Corey Gipson left for the open gig at Austin Peay, Enmanuel entered the transfer portal and eventually followed Gipson to the Govs.
It didn’t really matter where Enmanuel ended up, though, at least when it comes to the name, image, and likeness (NIL) space. With already a robust social media presence and following, the internet sensation will likely sit atop the college basketball NIL rankings as long as he’s playing at the college level.
So, what does the NIL market value for Hansel Enmanuel look like? What kinds of deals has he signed so far? Let’s break it down.
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Hansel Enmanuel NIL Market Value
All data via On3.com’s NIL rankings as of July 18, 2023.
Men’s College Basketball NIL rank: 1
Overall NIL 100 rank: 13
Annual Valuation: $1.3 million
10-week High: $1.4 million
10-week Low: $1.3 million
Total Social Media Followers: 4.3 million (1.6 million on IG, 2.7 million on TikTok)
The above monetary figures are via On3’s NIL Valuation, a proprietary algorithm that “establishes the overall NIL market and projected 12-month growth rate by measuring two categories, Brand Value Index and Roster Value Index.”
“While the algorithm includes deal data, it does not act as a tracker of the value of NIL deals athletes have completed to date, nor does it set an athlete’s NIL valuation for their entire career.”
While this isn’t the first time we’ve seen this, it wasn’t the easiest of paths for Enmanuel to get to where he is in the NIL world. Because he was born in the Dominican Republic, the NCAA considers him an international player, which presents obstacles when it comes to making deals and making money NIL-wise. Let’s break it down.
Most international student-athletes previously applied for and used the F-1 visa, which allows employment on or off campus, only if related to a curriculum of study. Unfortunately, new NIL opportunities that American-born athletes are taking advantage of left and right do not fit these criteria.
So instead, Enmanuel opted for the O-1 visa, which is for an “individual who possesses extraordinary ability in the sciences, arts, education, business, or athletics,” according to the US Citizenship and Immigration Services website. While this worked for Hansel, the O-1 visa may not be the best option for all international college athletes, with other options such as the P-1 visa or EB-1 extraordinary ability green cards.
Notable Hansel Enmanuel NIL Deals
Adidas
What do Gradey Dick, Trayce Jackson-Davis, and Jalen Hood-Schifinio all have in common? They were all selected in this year’s NBA Draft after productive college careers.
Oh, and they were the only other men’s basketball student-athletes that Adidas opted to sign alongside Enmanuel last year to the company’s NIL roster. Not bad company for Hansel to be in.
Northwestern State was an Adidas-sponsored school, but Austin Peay rocks Under Armour. It will be interesting to see how this partnership moves forward with that wrinkle — though history has shown it isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker.
Gatorade
In one of his first deals last summer, Enmanuel signed with the leading sports performance drink and appeared in a commercial nearly immediately. While details and specifics of the deal weren’t revealed, adding Hansel was part of the company’s vision of cultivating its most diverse, high-achieving athlete roster ever.
Other notable deals: T-Mobile, Dreamer
More NIL:
