Nike signs 5 South Carolina athletes to unique NIL deals. Here’s the list
The newest Nike athletes are Gamecocks.
On Wednesday, as South Carolina’s long-awaited transition from Under Armour to Nike became official, USC announced that five student-athletes had been signed to Nike’s Blue Ribbon Elite program.
In other words: Nike has signed five Gamecocks to NIL deals to rep the Swoosh.
The brand inked deals with three South Carolina football players — QB LaNorris Sellers, WR Nyck Harbor and edge rusher Dylan Stewart — along with women’s basketball players Joyce Edwards and Chloe Kitts.
“Obviously they’re incredible student-athletes from their achievements on and off the court/field,” USC athletic director Jeremiah Donati told The State. “But they’ve got quite a platform ... (They were) easy decisions.”
Nike’s Blue Ribbon Elite program launched in 2025. Per Nike’s website, it “reimagines the NIL space by providing leading athletes and universities an unmatched level of collaboration that prioritizes the future of sport and athlete identity.”
The partnership is key in the current era of college athletics, as schools are searching for ways to supplement their roster spending with third-party, above-the-cap NIL deals. That need for legitimate NIL deals has led many athletic departments toward apparel partners.
On Wednesday, as South Carolina switches from Under Armour to Nike, Tennessee is making the apparel shift from Nike to Adidas. A major factor in the decision: Adidas offered the Vols “unprecedented NIL opportunities” for its student athletes, the school said.
With its Blue Ribbon Elite program, Nike is showing its commitment towards NIL.
Nike has signed about 80 student-athletes to NIL deals via Blue Ribbon Elite, but only four schools are officially part of its Blue Ribbon Elite program. South Carolina joins LSU, Texas and rival Clemson, which announced a deal earlier this month.
Clemson has not yet released the student-athletes who are part of its program, but Nike announced the signings of 10 LSU student-athletes and 16 from Texas.
All of that’s to say, the amount of USC athletes with Nike deals can certainly increase going forward.
“I think you’re going to see more,” Donati said. “We wanted to lead with that group first, but you’ll see other opportunities for other student-athletes for sure.”
This story was originally published July 1, 2026 at 7:32 AM.
