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An Early Look at Arizona State Athletes and NIL Partnerships

In its second week of effect in the state of Arizona, plenty of Sun Devils have already notched deals with local companies.

The stereotype of a college athlete is fairly prototypical. Go to class, go to practice and go to sleep. Throw in a dash of partying and video games to complete the profile of any average run of the mill player for nearly any sport. 

Of course, having little to no money can be added as a part of the experience. With such a busy schedule dominated by studying and athletics, players have little opportunity to "legally" earn money while enrolled in school. 

That may be a thing of the past however, as the newly instituted Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) laws are now in full effect across the country, including the state of Arizona. 

ASU head coach Herm Edwards talked about the significance of NIL laws at Pac-12 media day:

"How it affects the student-athlete, your university, on where he or she may decide to go, I think this is part of the recruiting of it now," said Edwards. 

"You better embrace it. If you don't, you're going to get left behind. That's the thing we learn in life, that things move on. You have to be ahead of it. I think we've got a plan on how to do that. I think there's going to be some glitches. First time that we all are dealing with this."

Sun Devils Raking in Cash

Prior to the July 23 start date for college athletes to start profiting off of themselves in Arizona, we pieced together seven potential businesses/companies for Sun Devils to target when looking to strike a deal. 

Quarterback Jayden Daniels, perhaps best positioned out of any Arizona State athlete to monetize themselves, already has two partnerships prior to the start of the season. 

Daniels' first deal comes from The Solution, an IV nutrition and hydration clinic in California. His second is local Tempe spot Venezia's Pizzeria, where he'll get a percentage of every "JD5" pizza sold. The specialty pizza has mushrooms, bacon, sausage, pepperoni and extra cheese. 

Sun Devils defensive back Chase Lucas has also gotten in on the action, partnering with Arizona Realtor Brandon Bethel.

Arizona State hockey players Chris Grando, Matthew Kopperud and Johnny Walker were able to strike a partnership with Barstool Sports. 

Perhaps the best way for athletes to take advantage of their platform and monetize it is through Cameo, a service that allows people to pay athletes for a personalized video. Current Sun Devils on the platform include running back DeaMonte Trayanum, defensive back Jack Jones and basketball forward Marcus Bagley.

Although we're still early in the NIL world, Arizona State athletes have already begun to reap its benefits. 

Donnie Druin is a Deputy Editor with AllSunDevils. Follow Donnie on Twitter @DonnieDruin, and AllSunDevils @AllSunDevils. Like and follow AllSunDevils on Facebook, and for more ASU news visit https://www.si.com/college/arizonastate/