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We Really Missed the Boat with High School NIL Deals
Published:
Not sure if you know this kid Matt Zollers, but he’s Spring-Ford’s quarterback and now he has a high school NIL deal:
Missouri 5-star QB commit Matt Zollers has inked an NIL deal with Westwood Home Services.
As part of the deal, Zollers has been handed the keys to a Dodge Challenger for the rest of his high school career. Repped by Aurum Sports.
via @PeteNakos_: https://t.co/dDb3ulVeLd pic.twitter.com/62Nj9YszJR
— On3 NIL (@On3NIL) June 6, 2024
What’s stunning, first of all, is that Mizzou won 11 games and landed a good quarterback. Zollers turned down Penn State and Pitt, and while the Panthers were last relevant in the leather helmet era, playing quarterback in Happy Valley is a big deal.
Second, here’s part of the writeup from on3.com:
The Missouri commit and the No. 31 recruit in the nation, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, inked an NIL deal with Westwood Home Services, a service home repair and handyman resource. Located in western Pennsylvania, near Zollers’ hometown of Royersford (sic), the partnership marks the company’s first foray into NIL.
In exchange for commercial appearances and social media collaborations, Zollers has been handed the keys to a Dodge Challenger. He will use the vehicle during this summer and fall at Spring-Ford High School before he enrolls at Mizzou.
Man we really missed the boat with this, didn’t we? What were you driving in high school? I had a 1994 Nissan Altima, covered in heavy metal stickers that I bought at Zern’s (RIP). Difference is, we didn’t throw for 2,900 yards and 37 touchdowns during our junior years. This Zollers kid is legit. He’s a pro-style QB with a cannon for an arm.
This is the reality of the situation now. High school kids in Pennsylvania and New Jersey can do NIL deals. Delaware recently approved as well. This dude is now rolling around Royersford in a brand new Dodge Challenger that he got because he’s good at football. Good for him. We only got two things back in the day – jack and shit.
Matt Zollers to Mason Scott in corner of end zone for @SFRamsFB TD!
It’s 21-21 between Spring-Ford and Pope John Paul II, 2:59 4Q pic.twitter.com/Ml39W6JDoS
— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) October 28, 2023
Kevin has been writing about Philadelphia sports since 2009. He spent seven years in the CBS 3 sports department and started with the Union during the team's 2010 inaugural season. He went to the academic powerhouses of Boyertown High School and West Virginia University. email - k.kinkead@sportradar.com