WWE has announced their third class of 15 college athletes who will join the award-winning NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program, Next In Line. The program provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE.
Details on each athlete can be found below.
The third WWE NIL class includes athletes from 14 universities, 9 NCAA conferences, and 7 different sports. The program also welcomes its first athletes from women’s wrestling, soccer, tennis, and softball. The class is highlighted by two-time NCAA All American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet from Penn State University, four-time NCAA National Champion thrower Turner Washington from Arizona State University, and NCAA Champion hurdler Alia Armstrong from Louisiana State University.
WWE noted in today’s announcement:
The “Next In Line” program has signed 46 college athletes since its inception in December 2021 including the program’s first signee, Olympic Gold medalist Gable Steveson. The program serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds. WWE has signed athletes from 13 different sports including 35 members of Power-Five conferences who have collectively earned 40 NCAA All American Honors and 12 NCAA National Championships.
All athlete partnerships feature access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract.
The program’s athletes boast impressive social media followings with more than 10 million combined followers on TikTok and nearly three million combined followers on Instagram. WWE currently has one of the largest fanbases on TikTok with 20.9 million followers and more than 27 million Instagram followers.
Below are details on all 15 WWE NIL athetes announced today:
* Abby Jacobs; College: South Alabama, Sport: Soccer, Height: 5’7, Hometown: Gulf Breeze, Fla.
* Alexandra Jaksec; College: Mary Washington, Sport: Tennis, Height: 5’4, Hometown: Pittsburgh, Pa.
* Alia Armstrong; College: LSU, Sport: Track & Field, Height: 5’4, Hometown: Baton Rouge, La.
* Cameron Jones; College: Cincinnati, Sport: Football, Height/Weight: 6’8 and 320 lbs., Hometown: Hindman, Ky.
* Dee Beckwith; College: Kentucky, Sport: Football, Height/Weight: 6’5 and 235 lbs., Hometown: Florence, Ala.
* Greg Kerkvliet; College: Penn State, Sport: Wrestling, Height/Weight: 6’3 and 250 lbs., Hometown: Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
* Isaiah Iton; College: Rutgers, Sport: Football, Height/Weight: 6’2 and 290 lbs., Hometown: Houston, Texas
* Jaiden Fields; College: Georgia, Sport: Softball, Height: 5’9, Hometown: Kennesaw, Ga.
* Landon Jackson; College: Arkansas, Sport: Football, Height/Weight: 6’7 and 275 lbs., Hometown: Texarkana, Texas
* Mady Aulbach; College: Youngstown State, Sport: Basketball, Height: 5’3, Hometown: Slippery Rock, Pa.
* Nick Dawkins; College: Penn State, Sport: Football, Height/Weight: 6’4 and 315 lbs., Hometown: Allentown, Pa.
* Otoniel Badjana; College: Pittsburgh, Sport: Track & Field, Height/Weight: 5’11 and 245 lbs., Hometown: Lisbon, Portugal
* Peyton Prussin; College: Life University, Sport: Wrestling, Height: 5’4, Hometown: Las Vegas, Nev.
* Tori Ortiz; College: Oklahoma State, Sport: Track & Field, Height: 5’9, Hometown: Batavia, Ill.
* Turner Washington; College: Arizona State, Sport: Track & Field, Height/Weight: 6’5 and 290 lbs., Hometown: Tuscon, Ariz.
Stay tuned to WrestlingHeadlines.com for more.
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