Jared McCain, Duke basketball commit, racks up NIL deals
CORONA, Calif. (BVM) 鈥� Five-star basketball recruit Jared McCain is used to the spotlight. As a Duke University basketball commit, the 6-foot-4, 195-pound senior has had plenty of eyes on him during his young basketball career and is set to have even more attention once he joins the program in Durham, North Carolina.
This popularity has leaked into McCain鈥檚 social media following as well as he has become one of the most followed high school athletes in the entire country. The 18-year-old is a star with 1.7 million followers on the platform, but he also has significant supporters on and with 503,000 and 8,600 thousand followers respectively, giving him a grand total of 2.2 million followers across all three sites.
Given his success both on the court and with his social media followings, it comes as no surprise that companies have taken notice. This is significant because California, unlike other states, gives high school athletes the same access to name, image and likeness deals as collegiate athletes, allowing them to profit off of their own brand.
McCain has taken this rule and ran with it. So far during the buildup to his senior campaign, McCain has added NIL deals with , and became the first male athlete to sign with Though nothing has officially been announced in terms of a deal, McCain also appeared in a post for clothing company on Sept. 26.
In his first 鈥淔ield Day鈥� campaign with , stars alongside Eagles QB .
鈥淭o work with Champs, that鈥檚 like every kid鈥檚 dream,鈥� said Jared. 鈥淵ou walk into the store when you鈥檙e younger, [and now] to be on those posters, I鈥檓 just super excited.鈥�
— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula)
As a junior last season, McCain proved why he is one of the top players in the country, averaging 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and a steal in 33 games. He helped Centennial High School to a 33-1 record and the CIF Open Division state title. He was named the state鈥檚 Player of the Year for his standout performance.
Blessed to be the California Gatorade state player of the year 馃コ鈥硷笍鈥硷笍
— Jared Mccain (@J_mccain_24)
The star shooting guard starred for the 2022 USA Basketball Men’s U18 National Team which competed in the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championship in Tijuana, Mexico over the summer. During the tournament, McCain helped lead Team USA to a .
A consensus five-star recruit, McCain is ranked as the No. 18 player in the Class of 2023 in while being listed as the No. 16 player in the Given his strong status, McCain had his option of top programs to choose from, but ultimately to the Duke Blue Devils in February.
With his senior season approaching, don鈥檛 expect McCain to slow down with his play on the court or his deals off of it. Currently holding an of $984,000 and a per post value of $10,500, McCain is one of the biggest potential money earners in the sport and, once he gets to Duke, those numbers should continue to rise. While McCain has been used to the spotlight for years now, he shouldn鈥檛 expect it to get dimmer in the near future.
