Jackson State University's Travis Hunter Now Has Multiple Black-Owned Brands Under His Belt As He Signs NIL Deal With Michael Strahan

On the heels of the launch of his men’s skincare line, the NFL legend has signed a name, image, and likeness (NIL) deal with Travis Hunter as his brand’s first ambassador, Forbes reports.

“It means a lot,” Hunter said, according to the outlet. “It really inspires me to do more of the things he’s doing for his brand and his community. … He’s really at the top of what he does. He’s one of the top people you want to work with. He can teach you a lot about what he does.”

As previously reported by AfroTech, Hunter is the top high school football player in the U.S., who is set to play at Jackson State University with Deion Sanders. Earlier this year, he landed a NIL deal with Black-owned coffee shop J5 Caffe.

The 19-year-old will “be the face of several Michael Strahan brand efforts, including its continued expansion of tailored and sportswear clothing lines, and will appear in brand marketing efforts across print, digital and social media,” per Forbes.

“Travis Hunter is a game-changer on and off the football field,” Strahan told the outlet. “This young man had the opportunity to select any school in the country but chose Jackson State University, an HBCU. His decision demonstrates his character, his vision and his confidence. He is also a great teammate.”

He added: “These qualities resonate with me and my brand. I admire this young man and look forward to watching his continued growth.”

While he plans to play in the NFL later on in his career, Hunter strives to show he’s a leader both on and off the field.

“I’m very good with the leadership/role model role,” Hunter said, according to the outlet. “I like that role. I like to show people that I’m going to be on a straight line, I’m not going to mess up or do anything out of the ordinary to jeopardize anything. I’m happy to be the leader and to show people if I can do it, you can do it. It’s not that hard. You just have to work towards it. If you’re working towards something you really love, it’s not hard at all.”