Chapman University athletes reflect on one year of name, image and likeness brand deals

(Left to right) Alec Desuasido, Dylan Horowitz and Marco Ybarra discuss what it's like having a name, image and likeness deal as a college athlete. Photo collage by ANGELINA HICKS, editor-in-chief 

For just over a year, Division III athletes have been able to sign brand deals with companies and management teams to use their name, image and likeness (NIL) to promote themselves, and their brand deals. 

The NCAA has allowed Division I athletes to accept brand deals for the past decade, but Division III was not included in this until June 2021, when the NCAA decided to let Division III athletes profit off of their NIL by accepting brand deals or being scouted by talent agencies. 

Alec Desuasido, a junior business major and Chapman track athlete, began promoting his NIL when he committed to Chapman.
“I used to just post my life in general on Instagram, but after the new NIL laws were passed, I started posting more content about being a college athlete and built my social media off that last year,” Desuasido said. “I developed an NIL platform by posting action shots of me competing and reaching out to brands through direct message and social media.” 

Desuasido said he hopes to work with more brands and serve as a role model for the community — whether he is on campus, running track or posting online.

“Eventually I hope to work my way from smaller brands to getting bigger brand deals,” Desuasido said. “When a brand reaches out, I look for their social media presence, their audience and their message (or) purpose. I enjoy working with brands that have a positive message and make me feel a sense of community when I work with them.” 

Dylan Horowitz, a political science major and sophomore on Chapman's men's golf team is just beginning to get his platform started and develop a brand for himself. Horowitz will be starting his own golf company in January 2023 selling golfing products and supplies that will help golfers succeed on the course. 

“My goal for my company is to be one of the top training aid companies in the world,” Horowitz said. “I want the products that I have spent the last two years of my life building to help others with their golf game, as they have helped mine.” 

Marco Ybarra, a business major and freshman on Chapman’s football team, began building his NIL when he was recruited. 

“I built my platform by following as many coaches, local reporters and athletes as I could,” Ybarra said. 

Ybarra is now looking to sign multiple brand deals. 

“When a brand reaches out to me, I look for its reputation in the community, and how it could relate back to supporting a student athlete,” Ybarra said. “The mutual trust between the company and myself is a huge factor.”

Ybarra said the main goal of using his NIL with a brand is to promote a positive image of Chapman football and bring more attention to the program.