NHL's Panthers sign Miami Hurricanes QB D'Eriq King to endorsement deal to help improve traditionally low ticket sales as college athletes reap rewards of the NCAA's new NIL rules

The Florida Panthers have signed a quarterback, which is to say that the NHL club is attempting to buoy its own popularity by taking advantage of new NCAA rules on athlete endorsements. 

Miami quarterback D'Eriq King has become the first college player to sign an endorsement deal with the Panthers, the NHL team announced Monday. King will appear at some Panthers games and events, plus engage with fans on social media and produce digital content.

The deal also calls for King to work with the Panthers to develop a merchandise collection, co-branded art and his own exclusive concession menu item to be available at all Panthers home games and events for the coming season.

Financial terms were not disclosed.

Miami quarterback D'Eriq King has become the first college player to sign an endorsement deal with the Panthers, the NHL team announced Monday. King will appear at some Panthers games and events, plus engage with fans on social media and produce digital content

For the Panthers, the deal makes sense given their fluctuating popularity over the years. Even prior to the pandemic, the Panthers were consistently among the NHL's worst teams in attendance. In 2018-19, the final full NHL season before coronavirus spread across the country, Florida ranked 29th out of 31 league teams with just 78.2 percent of tickets sold for an average attendance of 13,261 per game

For the Panthers, the deal makes sense given their fluctuating popularity over the years.  

Even prior to the pandemic, the Panthers were consistently among the NHL's worst teams in attendance. In 2018-19, the final full NHL season before coronavirus spread across the country, Florida ranked 29th out of 31 league teams with just 78.2 percent of tickets sold for an average attendance of 13,261 per game. 

On the other hand, the Hurricanes are among the most successful programs in college football history, their recent struggles notwithstanding. Even in 2018, when Miami was on its way to a mediocre 7-6 season, the Hurricanes still ranked 22nd among all college football teams with an average attendance of 61,469 fans, according to the NCAA. 

The following year a 6-7 Hurricanes team still averaged 52,829 fans at home games.

Given that level of notoriety, it's no wonder why the Panthers wanted to attach themselves to the program's most visible player. 

'D'Eriq is a superstar both on and off the field and we are excited to reach and engage South Florida sports fans in new ways through this collaborative partnership,' Panthers chief strategy officer Sam Doerr said.

The Hurricanes are among the most successful programs in college football history, their recent struggles notwithstanding. Even in 2018, when Miami was on its way to a mediocre 7-6 season, the Hurricanes still ranked 22nd among all college football teams with an average attendance of 61,469 fans, according to the NCAA. The following year a 6-7 Hurricanes team still averaged 52,829 fans at home games

Hurricanes quarterback D'Eriq King (1) sets up to pass as running back Jaylan Knighton (4) runs through practice drills on Monday, March 2, 2020 at the University of Miami's Greentree Field in Coral Gables 

The Panthers were the first US major pro sports team to develop a plan in which college athletes could align with them as part of the recent rule allowing them to profit off their name, image and likeness. 

King has been among one of the most sought athletes in the country since players could begin signing such deals this month; the Panthers' contract is at least the sixth known deal that King has entered into this summer.

'The whole NIL thing, I think it's really good for college football,' King said last month at the Atlantic Coast Conference's preseason football media days. 'My thing was work with good companies. You can't work with everybody. You want to work with companies that align with your core values. You don't want to go out there and work with that company, that company, that company.'

It took the Panthers about three weeks between unveiling the program and signing King, and the team plans to sign more athletes quickly. The Panthers have said they value diversity and want female athletes and those from Olympic sports to be part of their program. 

Then-Panthers defenseman Keith Yandle is pictured in a near-empty BB&T center in 2019

And King isn't the only Hurricanes player with some financial opportunities.  

In July, owner of a chain of Florida gyms offered to pay $6,000 in endorsement money to all 90 scholarship players on the University of Miami football team.

In total, America Top Team gyms owner Dan Lambert proposed paying up to $540,000 for Hurricanes players to promote his business on social media and through public appearances. He is a former University of Miami student who says the offer is partly-motivated by his love of his old college, and desire for its team to do well. 

It's unclear how many players will jump at the chance to make $500 a month for the next year.

Half a million dollars may seem pricey for endorsements from relatively unknown players, most of whom aren't NFL prospects, but Lambert is a well-known Miami fan who is hoping to 'improve the reputation of the school and the team,' he told ESPN. 

In theory, recruits may be more inclined to sign with a particular school if they knew they'd get endorsement money to do so. It's unclear if Lambert will continue making this offer in future seasons, but for now, he's created an organization, Bring Back the U, to help facilitate the agreements with an eye towards improving the Hurricanes football program by offering bonuses that could attract top students. 

Jalar Holley #98 of the Miami Hurricanes celebrates with his teammates after defeating the Louisville Cardinals at Hard Rock Stadium on November 9, 2019 in Miami. The owner of a chain of Florida gyms is offering to pay $6,000 in endorsement money to all 90 scholarship players on the Hurricanes in a move that could significantly impact the future of college recruiting 

The proposed deal is one of many to surface since July 1, when the NCAA lifted rules banning student athletes from profiting off their name, image, and likeness . But unlike the deals already being signed by high-profile individual athletes, Lambert's proposal is the first designed, at least in part, to give one team a recruiting edge. 

'I only expect, over the years to come, that this will be enhanced,' Darren Heitner, a Florida-based attorney representing America Top Team, told DailyMail.com. 'Every coach and every athletic department will absolutely point back to the examples of success that athletes at the University of had with NIL, and try to utilize that as one factor in their recruiting efforts.'

For Lambert, the NCAA's decision to lift NIL restrictions gave him the chance to help his favorite football team without breaking any rules or jeopardizing players' eligibility.

'There are improper ways of fans supporting their players, and now there is a legal way to do it,' Lambert told ESPN. 'And if there is a legal way, and you can dot the I's and cross the T's, I'm going to do it.'

In total, America Top Team gyms owner Dan Lambert (making 'The U' hand signal)  is proposing to pay up to $540,000 for Hurricanes players to promote his business on social media and through public appearances. As of Wednesday, no players had publicly accepted the chance to make $500 a month for the next year, but that could change after they've had the chance to discuss the offer with their own families and representatives

Heitner has already become an expert on the new NCAA landscape, having negotiated several endorsement deals for student athletes after previously helping Florida state representative Chip LaMarca draft new laws protecting athletes' NIL rights.

He doesn't envision endorsers like Lambert replacing traditional college boosters — the wealthy benefactors funding college athletic departments' efforts to attract recruits with luxurious new facilities and other perks — but Heitner thinks similar sponsorship agreements will become essential for top programs, nonetheless. 

The catch is that the schools won't be directly involved because existing NCAA rules continue to ban the institutions from paying athletes directly or arranging for payments. They stand to benefit if the most-skilled athletes are attracted to their colleges by offers from outside sponsors, who in turn reap business benefits from promotional activities the students they've sponsored are now allowed to undertake. 

'You're going to see athletic departments and universities want to be kept at a distance from the actual transactions that are occurring,' he said. 'They're going to want to be as hands off as possible and not be seen conducting business with the athletes,' he said.   

CASHING IN ON CAMPUS: NCAA ATHLETES RUSH TO INK 'SIX-FIGURE' ENDORSEMENT DEALS 

By Alex Raskin, Sports News Editor For DailyMail.com

NCAA athletes are wasting little time in capitalizing on new rules allowing them to profit off their name, image, and likeness , with some high-profile stars expecting to sign six-figure endorsement deals and possibly much more in the near future. 

Leigh Steinberg, the famed sports agent who has negotiated deals for NFL legends such as Steve Young and Troy Aikman, told DailyMail.com that a quarterback from a high-profile school 'could rival a pro' in endorsement earnings. 

Payouts will vary 'client to client, deal to deal' sports attorney Darren Heitner told DailyMail.com, adding that contracts in excess of $100,000 are 'absolutely' expected before the fall sports season starts in late August.

And Heitner isn't guessing. He already represents Florida football player Donovan McMillon as well as twin sisters and Fresno State basketball stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder, who quickly leveraged their 3.3 million TikTok followers into new deals with Boost Mobile and SixStar ProNutrition. 

Like the other contracts signed on July 1, terms were not disclosed, but the Cavinders's new sponsorship agreements are already receiving national attention after being announced on an electronic billboard in New York's Times Square. 

Twin sisters and Fresno State basketball stars Haley and Hanna Cavinder leveraged their 3.3 million TikTok followers into a new deal with Boost Mobile

Like the other contracts signed on Thursday, terms were not disclosed, but the Cavinders's new sponsorship agreements are already receiving national attention after being announced on an electronic billboard in New York's Times Square. Icon Source, a company that 

The NCAA Board of Directors approved the NIL change on June 30, making July 1 the first day college athletes could capitalize on their fame without endangering their eligibility or putting their school in jeopardy.

For years, college sports' top governing body claimed to be protecting amateurism by penalizing athletes for signing endorsement deals, selling autographs, or making paid appearances, among other violations. But while the NCAA will continue to bar schools from paying athletes directly, the organization appears to have caved to outside pressure by lifting NIL restrictions. 

And if July 1 is any indication, companies of all sizes are eager to sign new spokespeople.

Of course, not every endorsement deal is with a nationally recognized company like Boost Mobile.

For instance, Antwan Owens, a defensive end for Jackson State's football team, and four of his teammates signed with Three Kings Grooming, a black-owned hair product shop.

'Somebody pinch me,' Owens told Sports Illustrated. 

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix inked an endorsement deal with Milo's Sweet Tea shortly after midnight — a contract that was brokered by Icon Source, which claimed to have facilitated more than a dozen such sponsorship agreements on Thursday alone

Florida State quarterback McKenzie Milton and Miami quarterback D'Eriq King both signed with Dreamfield, a company that books public appearances.

Not every endorsement deal is with a nationally recognized company like Boost Mobile. For instance, Antwan Owens , a defensive end for Jackson State's football team, and four of his teammates signed with Three Kings Grooming, a black-owned hair product shop.

Marshall offensive lineman and country musician Will Ulmer had been performing under the alias 'Lucky Bill' and often refused payment to play live concerns near the school's West Virginia campus. Now, though, Ulmer can play under his real name and get paid for doing so. 'Now that the NCAA will allow it, I will be playing live shows this year as Will Ulmer!!' he wrote on Twitter. 'I am open to all venues and business opportunities!! DM if interested, let's make some music'

Kentucky basketball star Dontaie Allen isn't endorsing a company, but rather produced his own custom apparel line, which features his name and image — something that would have been considered an NCAA violation as recently as Wednesday.

Auburn quarterback Bo Nix inked an endorsement deal with Milo's Sweet Tea shortly after midnight — a contract that was brokered by Icon Source, which claimed to have facilitated more than a dozen such sponsorship agreements on Thursday alone.

Fellow quarterbacks  McKenzie Milton (Florida State) and D'Eriq King (University of Miami) both signed with Dreamfield, a company that books public appearances. 

Meanwhile a Lincoln, Nebraska restaurant chain, Runza, plans to offer a flat fee to the first in-state college athletes who promote the company on social media.

British multinational consumer goods company Unilever said it plans to spend $5 million over the next five years on ads for its deodorant, Degree, featuring college athletes.

Kentucky basketball star Dontaie Allen isn't endorsing a company, but rather produced his own custom apparel line, which features his name and image — something that would have been considered an NCAA violation as recently as Wednesday

Another interesting opportunity for college athletes comes from Yoke, an app started by former Notre Dame walk-on football player Mick Assaf that pays celebrities to play video games with fans. 

Several NFL players have already earned money from Yoke, which pays anywhere from a few dollars to a few hundred per game, according to ESPN.

The NCAA rule change also helps notable athletes earn money in other areas, such as music.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity belongs to Louisiana State gymnast Olivia Dunne, who boasts 5 million followers between TikTok and Instagram, making her the most followed active college athlete, according to The Action Network's Darren Rovell

Marshall offensive lineman and country musician Will Ulmer had been performing under the alias 'Lucky Bill' and often refused payment to play live concerns near the school's West Virginia campus. Now, though, Ulmer can play under his real name and get paid for doing so.

'Now that the NCAA will allow it, I will be playing live shows this year as Will Ulmer!!' he wrote on Twitter. 'I am open to all venues and business opportunities!! DM if interested, let's make some music.'

Athletes can also earn money on Cameo, a website that allows celebrities to get paid for sending personalized voice and video messages to fans. According to The Action Network's Darren Rovell, Oklahoma quarterback Spencer Rattler is earning $125 per message while Northwestern QB Ryan Hilinksi is asking for $50 a pop.

Perhaps the biggest opportunity belongs to Louisiana State gymnast Olivia Dunne, who boasts 5 million followers between TikTok and Instagram, making her the most followed active college athlete, according to Rovell.

It certainly doesn't hurt that her school has embraced the NCAA's decision to lift NIL restrictions and is openly using the possibilities as a recruiting tool. In one web ad, LSU refers to itself as NILSU.

Louisiana State University is embracing the NCAA's decision to lift rules restricting athletes' NIL rights. In a recent web advertisement, the school referred to itself as NILSU