Braelon Allen making the most of his NIL deals
MADISON, Wis. (BVM) 鈥� Former four-star recruit Braelon Allen didn’t receive much coming out of Fond du Lac High School. Allen is now changing that narrative as he begins his second year at the University of Wisconsin.听
One way Allen is changing that narrative is with his presence on social media. The 18-year-old Allen has a significant presence on , with 68,000 followers. He also has many followers on and with 8,900 and 20,000, giving him 96,900 followers on all three platforms.
Along with his success on social media, Allen catapulted himself into the national spotlight during the 2021-22 season when he took over as Wisconsin鈥檚 starting running back. He set a , and most notably, he did it all when he was just 17 years old.
Wisconsin has found their RB. His name is Braelon Allen. He's only 17 too.
— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness)
I think TV announcers noted Braelon Allen was a 17-year-old freshman at least 1,000 times last season. Over/under on the number of times he is referred to as an 18-year-old sophomore this season? 馃し鈥嶁檪锔�
— Jeff Potrykus (@jaypo1961)
Allen finished his freshman year with 1,268 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns. He鈥檇 cap off his freshman campaign in the Las Vegas Bowl with 29 carries and 159 yards against Arizona State.
Badgers freshman running back Braelon Allen is your Las Vegas Bowl most valuable player. He had 29 carries for 159 yards.
— Jesse Temple (@jessetemple)
Because of his success on and off the field, Allen captured the attention of multiple companies. And with the NIL rules in college football, Allen has taken advantage of the opportunities that have come his way. One of those opportunities is working with Iron Joc, a company specializing in athletic apparel.
Check out our new commercial that drops today featuring Wisconsin Badgers running back and Iron Joc ambassador – "ain't no such thing as you don't feel like working out!"
— Iron Joc Performance Gear & Apparel (@IRONJOC)
New 鈦︹仼 BillBoard just went up on Regent Street by the BIG Ten Pub 馃挭馃挭馃挭 Heisman run starts this Saturday.
— Iron Joc Performance Gear & Apparel (@IRONJOC)
Another company that has decided to work with Allen is Barstool Sports. The deal was announced on Aug. 12. Allen鈥檚 teammate Chimere Dike also signed an NIL deal with Barstool Sports.
NIL deal with the best running back in the country
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat)
With these deals, Allen has bolstered his value as an athlete. According to , Allen has an NIL valuation of $462,000 and a per post value of $1,400. With those marks, Allen is one of the top earners in college football. (No. 63). Alongside those deals, Allen has also teamed up with .
As a sophomore, Allen has shown why those companies wanted to represent him this year. He鈥檚 averaged almost seven yards a carry, has six TDs and has racked up 497 rushing yards.
Braelon Allen in Week 1:
馃Α14 rushes
馃Α148 yards
馃Α2 TDs
馃Α134 yards after contact(馃抠: )
— PFF College (@PFF_College)
Allen has not only shown Wisconsin he can be a star, but he has shown the nation he can be a star in America鈥檚 most popular sport. He still has yet to play most of his sophomore season, but it鈥檇 be hard to see Allen鈥檚 output on or off the football field slow down anytime soon.
