SUWANEE, Ga. — Suwanee's Travis Hunter, the nation's No. 1 football recruit who made history with his decision to play at an HBCU starting in the fall, has now also signed a landmark sponsorship deal.
Hunter will be entering into an NIL (name, image and likeness) agreement with a Black-owned Mississippi coffee company, the business announced Thursday on Instagram.
The company, J5 Caffe', said that partnering with Hunter was "paramount because it both expresses the mission of making a difference in HBCU colleges, but more importantly the Black community."
Hunter starred at Collins Hill High School and is headed to play for Coach Deion Sanders at Jackson State University next season. His decision was a first for such a prominent recruit in choosing an HBCU, and he told 11Alive in December he was motivated by the "chance to make a change in history."
"As a Black-owned organization, J5 Solutions is committed to building Black wealth but we can’t have success in the future without investing in our youth of today,” J5's founder, Jabari O. Edwards, said on Instagram.
NIL deals are new to college sports, an NCAA policy change last year that allows student athletes for the first time to profit off their own name, image and likeness by, for instance, appearing in commercials or signing marketing and sponsorship deals.
"Hunter set the sports world ablaze when he chose to play for Coach Prime and JSU. Hunter possesses unique skills and a mindset that will allow him to be a phenomenal two-way threat for JSU. His uniqueness complements the uniqueness of J5 Caffe’ and they will both change the game," the J5 release said.
The Columbus, Mississippi-based coffee company said it imports coffee beans from Tanzania and that it donates a percentage of its profits to "help minority businesses and create scholarships for students from low socioeconomic communities who desire to attend a Historically Black College and University in Mississippi."