USC Trojans'JuJu Watkins Lands New NIL Deal With United Airlines, Joins Travis Hunter

USC Trojans women's basketball star JuJu Watkins becomes the third athlete to ink a Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) deal with United Airlines, joining Colorado Buffaloes' Travis Hunter and USC's Caleb Williams in the exclusive club. Watkins' $765,000 NIL valuation is among the highest in college basketball.

Feb 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Southern California Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) reacts in the second half against the Michigan State Spartans at the Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

When the USC Trojans women's basketball program signed JuJu Watkins out of high school, the Trojans knew they were getting a bonafide star in Watkins. She won multiple player of the year awards throughout her high school career and was even named as California's Ms. Basketball her senior year.

On the court, she does it all for the Trojans, but off the court, she's seeing her branding skyrocket thanks to her success. Watkins took to Instagram to debut her latest NIL deal with the airline company, United. She is only the third collegiate athlete to sign with United Airlines, and is the first female athlete to partner with the company.

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It's a match made in heaven for the airline company and Watkins as her full name is Judea Skies Watkins, which is prominently featured in the campaign.

Watkins joins an exclusive group featuring two Heisman award winners to partner with United in former USC quarterback Caleb Williams and Colorado's two-way standout Travis Hunter. It's the latest NIL deal for Watkins, who continues to build off of her on the court sucess in the NIL world. Watkins has already partnered with State Farm, Gatorade, Nike, and Instagram.

Sitting at No. 6 in women's basketball for NIL valuations in the country according to On3, Watkins is valued at around $765,000 by the site's NIL Valuation. She sits just behind Hailey Van Lith of TCU and is in front of Arizona's Jada Williams. Watkins is No. 9 in the On3 Women's NIL 100.

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It's been a great sophomore year for Watkins as the Trojans prepare for the postseason. She's currently averaging 24.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 3.6 assists per game, leading the Trojans to one of their most successful regular seasons ever.

The Trojans have has the season finale looming as they travel to No. 2 UCLA for their second matchup with the Bruins in as many as five games. USC got the best of UCLA at the Galen Center on Feb. 13 in their 71-60 win. Watkins and USC handed UCLA their first loss of the season and will try to go for a season sweep on Saturday.

Feb 13, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans guard JuJu Watkins (12) dribbles past UCLA Bruins guard Londynn Jones (3) during an NCAA basketball game at Galen Center. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images / Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

Not only are bragging rights on the line in the Crosstown Rivalry, but USC and UCLA will be fighting for the Big Ten regular season championship as both teams currently stand with only one loss. USC suffered a setback loss on the road at Iowa on Feb. 2 in their 76-69 loss to the Hawkeyes. The No. 1 seed in the conference tournament is also at stake in the game.

Despite winning the first game, USC enters Pauley Pavilion as the underdog. ESPN Analytics give the Women of Troy a 37.1 percent chance of beating the Bruins. The game will be broadcast on FOX and tip-off is set for 6 p.m. on Saturday, March 1.

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