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Elite SEC WR Makes Decision to Sign Major NIL Deal

A trio of college football stars from the same agency inked contracts.
Joe Cox|
Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver signed a new NIL deal recently.
Texas A&M wide receiver Mario Craver signed a new NIL deal recently. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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Texas A&M Aggies

Even in the down time of the college football season, the sport's big earners are still making deals and dollars. A standout SEC wide receiver is one of several players who recently announced a new NIL deal that should help bridge the weeks until the season begins both for the players and for collectors of trading cards.

A new deal for a big-play receiver

Texas A&M receiver Mario Craver announced a new NIL deal with Panini trading cards through his agency, The Business of Athletes. Panini recently lost its licensing status with MLB and the NFL, and so has been very active in the pre-professional card market, often signing exclusive contracts with top prospects to at least temporarily keep their cards in Panini's realm instead of that of opposing entity Topps.

Craver wasn't the only standout from the same agency who also inked Panini deals. Southern California running back Waymond Jordan and Texas linebacker Rasheem Biles both also joined the Panini stable.

In the case of Craver, Panini isn't making an exclusive deal. Rivals lists Craver as inking prior NIL deals with Topps last year and with fellow competitor Leaf Trading Cards during the 2025 season.

Craver's path to stardom

Craver has had an interesting path to being one of the top wide receivers in college football. As a 5'9" prospect, he slid under the radar and was a four-star recruit when he signed with Mississippi State in December 2023. Craver made a name right away as a big-play target: he averaged 21.6 yards per catch and scored three touchdowns despite having just 17 catches in an injury-shortened season.

Craver then transferred to Texas A&M and made an immediate impact with the Aggies. He had at least 114 receiving yards in each of his first three games for A&M and finished the year with 59 receptions for 917 yards and four touchdowns. While Craver's size is still a concern at the next level, with another year of productivity, he figures to be one of the more intriguing prospects for the NFL Draft, should he choose to enter in 2027, when he is first eligible.

Other Panini NIL signees

Panini, as noted above, has been very actively in obtaining deals with college stars and even with pre-college stars, as prep QB Keisean Henderson has inked with Panini ahead of his first college game at Houston, for instance. Among the other notable college stars with Panini deals are Arch Manning, Julian Sayin, and Keelon Russell.

Manning
Texas QB Arch Manning is another college football star with a Panini NIL deal. | Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

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Joe Cox
JOE COX

Joe is a journalist and writer who covers college and professional sports. He has written or co-written over a dozen sports books, including several regional best sellers. His last book, A Fine Team Man, is about Jackie Robinson and the lives he changed. Joe has been a guest on MLB Network, the Paul Finebaum show and numerous other television and radio shows. He has been inside MLB dugouts, covered bowl games and conference tournaments with Saturday Down South and still loves telling the stories of sports past and present.

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