WWE to unveil second NIL class next month

[Chris]

Source: f4wonline.com

WWE's second class of "Next In Line" program recruits is set to be unveiled next month.

WWE has announced that the new class of Next In Line recruits will be unveiled at the inaugural NIL Summit on Monday, June 13. The class will consist of 15 college athletes.

The NIL Summit is being held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

"WWE will join Meta, Wasserman and Invesco QQQ and others as founding Partners of the inaugural NIL Summit and will also serve as the exclusive Presenting Partner for the Breakthrough Athlete of the Year Award. Additionally, WWE is nominated for the Brand of the Year Award which recognizes creative excellence by a brand or organization for collaboration with a student-athlete," WWE wrote.

"Four of the 16 initial members of WWE’s 'Next In Line' program are nominated for awards including Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson (University of Minnesota) for Male Athlete of the Year, Haley & Hanna Cavinder (University of Miami) for Female Athlete of the Year and Jon Seaton (Elon University) for the Hustle Award."

“We are excited to unveil our next class of NIL athletes at the inaugural NIL Summit which brings together the brightest minds across this emerging industry for the first time," Paul "Triple H" Levesque said. “WWE’s ‘Next In Line’ program has already proven to be transformational for our talent pipeline. We have forged many incredible partnerships with student athletes during the first six months of the program and look forward to ushering in the next wave of talent.”

Last December, WWE announced that it was launching the Next In Line program as a way to create a "clear pathway" from college athletics to WWE. Athletes who sign NIL deals with WWE receive access to the WWE Performance Center, along with resources in brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing, and community relations. Upon completion of the program, select athletes may be offered a WWE contract.

Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson was the first person to sign an NIL deal with WWE. The company then unveiled its first class of Next In Line recruits last December. Thirteen universities, seven NCAA conferences, and four sports were represented in the 15-person class.

NIL deals allow athletes to profit off of their name, image, and likeness while still in college.