Penn State football: Brandon Smith signs with agency, eyes NIL deals
Penn State Nittany Lions football linebacker Brandon Smith announced on Twitter Tuesday afternoon that has signed with Roc Nation Sports.
Smith is the first Penn State football player to publicly announce that he has signed with an agency following the passage of Pennsylvania legislation that allows college athletes to profit from their name, image and likeness earlier this summer.
"Excited to join the Roc Nation Sports family for NIL," Smith wrote on Twitter. "I'm excited to explore opportunities off the field when time permits. For all paid, non paid, and charitable inquiries, please DM or email (in bio).
"Along with my previous post my main focus is doing what I need to do on the field and in the classroom as well," he added.
Roc Nation describes itself as an entertainment company founded by rapper Jay-Z, and its sports management division was launched in 2013.
"Roc Nation Sports focuses on elevating athletes' careers on a global scale both on and off the field," the company's website reads. "Roc Nation Sports conceptualizes and executes marketing and endorsement deals, community outreach, charitable tie-ins, media relations and brand strategy."
Roc Nation's client list includes the likes of Kyrie Irving, Juju Smith-Schuster, Marcus Rashford and, notably, former Penn State football star Saquon Barkley.
While some college football programs have seen their athletes sign flashy, six-figure NIL deals, Penn State's forays into the NIL market have been somewhat more low-key, with athletes often doing business with local establishments.
Penn State football head coach James Franklin gave his take on NIL last month in Indianapolis at Big Ten football media days.
"I don't really look at it as something to use in recruiting," Franklin said. "I don't really look at it as something for Penn State in the coming years. I look at it mainly as: How do we make sure we're doing everything we possibly can to support the student-athletes?"
Smith will begin his junior season when Penn State takes the field against Wisconsin in early next month. The linebacker is a popular choice when discussing potential breakout players for the Nittany Lions.
Smith played the majority of his snaps at the Sam linebacker position last season. This year, he'll move to the Will linebacker role, where he will have fewer duties in pass coverage and can make use of his physicality more.
“It was really just my instincts and my range and speed, and being able to make plays where others coming from across the field wouldn't be able to make. Just being able to move sideline to sideline and just having that freedom was what made me who I am and will continue to do that even to this day,” Smith said of the move.
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