Future Oregon Ducks Jackson Shelstad, Sofia Bell sign state's first high school NIL deals

Shelstad (West Linn) and Bell (Jesuit), the top basketball prospects in the state of Oregon, sign endorsement deals with apparel brand Portland Gear

On Oct. 10, Oregon became the latest in a long line of states to allow high school athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness. 

It didn't take long for two of the state's top athletes to capitalize. 

West Linn (Ore.) standout point guard Jackson Shelstad and Sofia Bell, a nationally-ranked wing at Jesuit (Ore.), have signed endorsement deals with Portland Gear, the apparel brand announced Thursday. 

The terms of the deal were not disclosed.

"Proud of these two and look for more from them and PG in the coming months!" Portland Gear said in a release Thursday morning.

Shelstad and Bell are both seniors committed to play at the University of Oregon. The 6-foot Shelstad is a four-star point guard and the No. 51 prospect in the country, per 247Sports. 

ESPN's HoopGurlz recruiting rankings lists Bell, a 6-foot-1 wing who transferred from St. Mary's Academy to Jesuit in the middle of her junior season, as the No. 26 recruit in the nation in the class of 2023.

Shelstad is playing wide receiver for the Lions (6-1) this fall after taking two years off from football to focus on basketball.

Portland Gear has previously waded into the NIL scene, signing two college athletes who grew up in Oregon: Stanford basketball standout Cameron Brink, who attended Beaverton and Mountainside, and former West Linn and Oregon State football standout Jaydon Grant.

The ability for college athletes to profit commercially has trickled down to the high school ranks, where some players are projected to already be worth hundreds of thousands — and in some cases millions — of dollars.

Lead photo by Taylor Balkom