Valley Star, Louisville Commit Lands NIL Deal

Jayden McGregory partners with local non-profit ahead of senior season

Valley's Jayden McGregory (24) celebrates his game winning shot over Linn Mar on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at Wells Fargo Arena. / Cody Scanlan/The Register / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Jayden McGregory has made a name for himself both on the football field and basketball court while shining for West Des Moines Valley High School.

Recently, the senior-to-be committed to Louisville over Minnesota and Missouri.

And even more recently, McGregory landed himself an NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) deal that will see him start to give back to his local community.

According to a report by WHO-13 out of Des Moines, McGregory has become one of the first Iowa high school athletes to earn an NIL deal, doing so with Back to School Iowa. The non-profit will use his name, image and likeness to promote educational events.

Jayden McGregory understands importance, impact of Back2School Bash

The Back2School Bash for this year will mark 20 years of serving the community through education by handing out free school supplies to 1,200 students in attendance. Perishable food items for families and free haircuts for kids will also be part of the upcoming event ahead of the new school year.

For McGregory, who helped the Tigers reach the Class 5A state football championship and win a 4A state basketball title last year, the signing hits close to home.

“My mom was a single mother of three so that Back2School Bash just knowing she didn’t have to rely on getting back-to-school materials and just knowing we would have the materials because of the Back2School Bash took a big stress off her and made everything else good,” McGregory said.

More Iowa High School Sports Headlines

feed