High School

Iowa High School Football Player Releases Own Trading Card

Alburnett sensation Laken Caves partners with Hayloft Collectibles

Dana Becker

Alburnett's Laken Caves has his own trading card, which was designed by Hayloft Collectives. The deal is through an NIL agreement between the two.
Alburnett's Laken Caves has his own trading card, which was designed by Hayloft Collectives. The deal is through an NIL agreement between the two. / Hayloft Collectibles/X

The sports world has been changed forever with the inclusion of NIL, known as name, image and likeness.

Through NIL agreements, student-athletes can now benefit from their names in various ways, including having trading cards made featuring themselves.

Alburnett High School standout Laken Caves is one of those taking advantage of it, partnering with Hayloft Collectibles.

The card is currently available for purchase through the Hayloft Collectibles website, featuring a picture of Caves along with his current season statistics. Along with a version of just the card, there are autographed cards available along with bundles of various sizes.

“I think what Hayloft Collectibles is doing for us high school kids is a pretty exciting thing that we get to mess around with and overall just have fun with,” Caves told High School Sports on SI. “Hayloft also does a great job designing (the cards) and making it easy to ship.”

Laken Caves is One of the Top Two-Way Threats in State

Caves and the Pirates are coming off a tough loss to Iowa City Regina. The junior has rushed for 490 yards and scored eight touchdowns on the ground, adding 10 receptions for 157 yards and another score.

On defense, Caves has 17 tackles while also handling return duties on special teams. That includes a 92-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, as he averages 37 yards on kickoffs and 18 on punt returns.

Just to keep himself busy, Caves also punts for Alburnett, posting 30 yards per kick.

As a sophomore, Caves ran for 1,251 yards with 16 touchdowns and caught 22 passes for over 400 yards and five more scores. He even saw the field as a ninth-grader, rushing for 447 yards and five TDs.

Alburnett plays at Tipton Friday night.

Iowa Allows High School Athletes to Benefit off NIL

Hayloft Collectibles specializes in custom NIL trading cards for standout athletes at both the high school and college levels. 

The state of Iowa, through the Iowa High School Athletic Association and Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, passed an NIL agreement in August 2022.

Published
Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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