Final Four Stars Partner on NIL Deals with HEYDUDE

National Champions Te-Hina Paopao of South Carolina and Andre Johnson of UConn, among others collaborate with footwear brand

Timing is everything - in basketball and NIL - and footwear brand HEYDUDE couldn't have planned their NCAA Tournament activation better, collaborating with a roster of Final Four stars from National Champions South Carolina and UConn, plus runner-ups Iowa and Purdue.

To support the launch of the new Wendy and Wally Slip collection showcasing pre and post-game wearing occasions, HEYDUDE partnered with six college basketball players including champion Te-Hina Paopao of South Carolina and Andre Johnson of UConn, in addition to Iowa duo Gabbie Marshall and Kate Martin, UConn duo Amari DeBerry and Ayanna Patterson of UConn and Braden Smith of Purdue.

According to the brand, these Final Four partners were from schools that match geographical areas where HEYDUDE is gaining in popularity and resonates with consumers that celebrate in fandom.

These individual athlete deals - coordinated during March Madness through NIL agency Postgame - are an expansion of HEYDUDE's college basketball footprint that includes partnership with five powerhouse universities - Duke, Kentucky, Miami, North Carolina and Texas A&M - announced prior to the NCAA Tournament. Through that campaign, HEYDUDE launched a new officially licensed Collegiate Collection through licensing agents CLC and Fanatics Licensing Management. 

During football season, HEYDUDE partnered with the likes of Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU, Quinn Ewers of Texas and Jordan Travis of Florida State. The trio of quarterbacks leveraged their partnership to give back to the campus communities and staff members who supported them during the season.