Summary College athletes signing NIL deals with private jet providers for flight hours is becoming a trend in the industry. Alerion Aviation's innovative NIL contract with two University of Arizona athletes marks a unique partnership. The NCAA's allowance of NIL deals has led to athletes partnering with private aviation companies for exclusive perks.
On Monday, August 19, two college athletes inked a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) deal with a major private jet provider. The two athletes, Noah Fifita and Tetairoa McMillan, play football for the University of Arizona, located in Tuscon, Arizona. Fifita is the starting quarterback, and McMillan is a starting wide receiver for the Wildcats.
The new deal was agreed to with the private jet charter company Alerion Aviation, based out of Long Beach, California . This deal is another private jet -focused NIL deal that is similar to other deals that emerged earlier this year. Several collegiate athletes have recently inked NIL deals with private aviation companies.
Deal with Alerion Aviation According to ON3 , the two University of Arizona athletes have officially signed a next-generation NIL deal. This is officially the first deal involving two college athletes on the same deal, although several other college athletes have inked individual deals. The duo signed an official NIL contract with Alerion Aviation.
The official terms of the deal were not disclosed. However, per ON3, each of the athletes has been given a set number of flight hours onboard an Alerion Aviation aircraft. These flights can be used for philanthropic, personal, or even team purposes, up to the athlete's choice.
This agreement was negotiated between Alerion Aviation's Rosie Haynes and agent Kyle Schaufel. Alerion Aviation was originally founded in 1993 as JetFlite International (JFI). It began as a charter company that only operated a single Cessna 185.
However, after it moved to Long Beach Airport (LGB) in California, the company began to expand its fleet. It also began to move into the aircraft management industry, which expanded its fleet offerings further. The company eventually merged with ACP Jet in 2016, and it was renamed Alerion Aviation.
Currently, the company offers a wide variety of aircraft, including: Gulfstream V Bombardier Global 5000 Embraer Legacy 600 Cessna Citation Sovereign Bombardier Challenger 300 Cessna Citation X Other private jet NIL deals In 2020, the National Collegiate Athletics Association (NCAA) agreed to allow NIL deals for its college athletes. This opened the doors for student-athletes to be paid compensation by companies for using their name, image, or likeness. This means that companies can use the athlete's name or image for promotion or marketing campaigns.
This is typically done through advertisement deals, autograph signings, or even something as simple as a post on social media. These deals have evolved since NIL was first introduced. Earlier this year, several athletes signed deals with private jet charter companies.
These deals were similar to Fifita and McMillan, which allowed the athletes to fly a certain number of hours on the company's private jet fleet. In February, the quarterback for the University of Mississippi Rebels, Jaxson Dart, signed a deal with Nicholas Air . Dart is one of the favorites to win the Heisman Award, one of the most prestigious awards in college football.
Furthermore, in April this year, Quinn Ewers signed another deal with Nicholas Air . Ewers is the starting quarterback for the University of Texas Longhorns and is one of the most prominent players in college football. Most recently, Carson Beck, the starting quarterback for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, signed a similar NIL deal with Airstar Charter.
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