The sons of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders and a highly-touted freshman phenom are joining forces with a Black-owned sports apparel brand.
Jackson State University continues to make headlines both on and off the field. After defeating Bethune-Cookman University on Saturday and appearing in a 60 Minutes segment the next day, the Tigers are back to business, this time off the field. Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ sons, Shilo and Shedeur, along with highly-touted freshman Travis Hunter, have all signed NIL partnerships with Actively Black, a Black-owned athletic fashion, athleisure, and sports apparel brand.
The deal is not the first of its kind for Actively Black — the company signed UNC women’s basketball player Deja Kelly earlier this year as the brand’s first-ever name, image, and likeness partner.
Similarly enough, the three Jackson State football players are also well-established in their own right on the NIL front. Shedeur Sanders, JSU’s quarterback, has pacts with Beats by Dre, Gatorade, Tom Brady’s BRADY Brand fashion label, and even has his own barbecue sauce, #2 BBQ. “My goal in coming to JSU was really to inspire the next generation and shine a light on undeniable talent at HBCUs and within our own communities, that’s why this partnership with Actively Black is so important, it just reinforces my purpose,” said Sanders in a release.
His brother, Shilo, a safety for the Tigers, has deals with Porsche, KFC, and Gillette, while Hunter — a freshman cornerback and the No. 1-ranked recruit in the class of 2022 — inked NIL partnerships with the Michael Strahan Brand and Greenwood, a digital banking platform co-founded by rapper Killer Mike.
As Hunter said in a statement, “I decided to play at an HBCU because I wanted to make a difference in my community. It is important to me that any brand I partner with represents the same values and beliefs as me, so to be an ambassador for Actively Black, a company that is continuing to show the Black community the power our culture has, is an honor.”
Both Shilo Sanders and Travis Hunter have played limited minutes for the Tigers so far this season due to injury. In the meantime, Jackson State has not missed a beat, going undefeated thus far into the season with four wins by 40 points or more.
For a brand, the allure of partnering with a Jackson State athlete is high; since Coach Prime stepped foot on campus, he has 20 wins and just five losses. And thanks to his enduring status as an NFL legend on the field for his play and off the field for the brand presence he created for himself, the Hall of Famer has managed to cultivate a similar energy with the Tigers.
As Lanny Smith, the founder of Actively Black, added on the occasion:
“At Actively Black, we are forging new pathways to serve as a blueprint for Black communities to thrive. Travis, Shedeur, and Shilo made history with their decision to disrupt the status quo and bring their exceptional talents to Jackson State University. As true trailblazers, they leveraged their influence on-and-off-the field to drive exposure to HBCU programs and empower future generations of Black students and athletes to support Black institutions and businesses. As a like-minded, unapologetically Black brand, we are proud to welcome Travis, Shedeur, and Shilo to the Actively Black family and humbled to partner with them as we work toward our shared goal.”
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