Six Clemson Football Players Featured in New Nike Partnership Announcement

On Thursday, Clemson Football announced six players as a part of the Nike Blue Ribbon Elite program.

Clemson defensive end Will Heldt has officially been announced as a Nike athlete, joining the Blue Ribbon Elite program. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

A few weeks ago, it was announced that a specific pool of Clemson student-athletes, spanning across multiple sports, had been chosen to participate in the Nike Blue Ribbon Elite program, a trailblazing approach to NIL built on working more closely with athletes and programs than ever before.

The announcement was made to celebrate a 25-year partnership with Clemson. Other programs a part of the newly founded partnership include, but aren’t limited to: Texas, LSU, South Carolina and Ole Miss.

Earlier this afternoon, Clemson Football announced the five players that were selected to be a part of the program, including junior wide receiver T.J. Moore, senior defensive end Will Heldt, sophomore running back Gideon Davidson, junior wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. and junior cornerback Ashton Hampton.

Additionally, Nike signed five-star wide receiver commit Jamarin Simmons alongside multiple other top prospects to its NIL roster. Other high school recruits who are partnered with Nike include Georgia’s Jaxon Dollar, Alabama’s Elijah Haven, LSU’s Peyton Houston, UCLA’s JuJu Johnson and more.

(Pictured: Jamarin Simmons & Others)

During ACC Kickoff on Thursday, Heldt was asked about the partnership and what it means to him, and he essentially said it’s a childhood dream come true.

“I’m pumped up about that — to be a part of the Nike family,” he told Clemson Tigers on SI. “Obviously, that’s a dream partnership, and when you’re a kid, you think, ‘What would be the coolest partnership I could think of?’ and Nike’s one of the ones that pops in your head. I think the child version of me would be very proud of that.”

“I think the U.S. Nike Football team really wanted to dive into the College Football realm a little bit more. They did a little bit last year, but this year they really formulated a group of 50 to 60 college guys, so I’m really blessed to be a part of that group.”

The Heldt signing comes as no surprise, as the former Purdue Boilermaker logged 46 tackles, 15.5 for a loss and 7.5 sacks as a first-year Tiger in 2025. He finished tied fourth for tackles for a loss and tied fifth in sacks among the ACC.

Now, what does Nike truly look to accomplish by making these signings? Well, it’s best put by the company itself.

“Nike’s partnership with each Blue Ribbon Elite athlete and their University will go beyond brand representation, inspiring the student body and community to collaborate through brand campaigns, product innovation and creative direction.”

All this to say, the partnership perfectly aligns with Clemson’s philosophy of developing student-athletes not only on the field, but in the post-football world, too.