Corbin High School football stars Jacob Smith and Jerod Smith Jr. have inked NIL deals with Tim Short Auto Group.
The twin brothers recently flipped their commitments from Michigan to Kentucky.
Here are more details on the NIL deals from On3:
Two of the highest-ranked prospects coming out of the Bluegrass State in the 2024 class have inked NIL deals with a Kentucky-based auto group, signing lease agreements. It’s believed to be one of the first car deals executed at the high school level. It’s unclear which specific vehicles they received keys to, but the brothers will be driving around their cars for the length of the deals.
The deals were procured and executed by Chris Gil and Frank Yip of Optimal Sports Management.
Car deals have become extremely popular in the NIL Era. Former Texas running back Bijan Robinson had a deal last year with Lamborghini of Austin, while Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud had a G-Wagon. Many athletes have received the keys to vehicles in exchange for social media promotion. At Georgia, head coach Kirby Smart admitted NIL is a factor in the uptick in speeding tickets players have received.
Jacob Smith and Jerod Smith Jr. will now have their own cars as they prepare to enroll at Kentucky. Jacob holds a On3 NIL Valuation of $72,000. His brother, Jerod, has a $66,000 On3 NIL Valuation. Working together in the future, the twins will be able to market themselves to brands together.
