JuJu Watkins’ recognition soars amid State Farm NIL deal [Exclusive]

When State Farm signed Iowa star Caitlin Clark to an NIL deal in 2023, it was historic in that Clark turned the primary NCAA participant ever to signal an endorsement cope with the insurance coverage firm. Properly, that record simply grew n by yet one more. USC Trojans star JuJu Watkins not too long ago signed her personal NIL cope with State Farm as solely the second NCAA participant to companion with the corporate.

With Clark off to the WNBA having simply accomplished her rookie season with the Indiana Fever, Watkins has emerged as arguably the most well-liked faculty basketball participant within the nation.

State Farm, who has burst onto the basketball scene with a number of commercials involving NBA and WNBA gamers, is navigating uncharted waters for the corporate with JuJu Watkins now as their lone NCAA shopper.

There’s no query that there’s been a large improve within the consideration paid to ladies’s basketball lately. State Farm has taken benefit of the recognition to present alternatives to among the greatest names within the sport, and that’s a significant cause why JuJu Watkins appears like this partnership is essential to assist develop ladies’s basketball.

“State Farm is such an iconic model and simply attracts the eye of so many individuals as a result of it’s such a well known model and well-respected,” Watkins instructed ClutchPoints in an unique interview. “So to have State Farm be companions with the W and be part of that State Farm household, I believe it simply mechanically grows the sport, simply to see that massive manufacturers are actually invested in ladies’s sports activities.”

JuJu Watkins’ a frontrunner in NIL

Since JuJu Watkins has been enjoying faculty basketball, NIL has at all times been a factor. It was in 2021 when the NCAA accepted the rule permitting faculty athletes to revenue off their likeness. Throughout her early time at USC, Watkins has already inked NIL offers with iconic manufacturers corresponding to Nike, Gatorade, AT&T and Funko, to call a couple of.

Her Funko deal was additionally important as a result of like State Farm, she is the one NCAA athlete the model partnered with and she or he was the primary to have a Funko POP determine made from her. With Clark within the WNBA, Watkins has develop into the most important identify in ladies’s faculty basketball and is arguably the most important identify in faculty basketball interval.

She’s grateful for the alternatives which were offered to her whereas recognizing those that got here earlier than her to assist pave the best way for this.

“Before everything, simply actually grateful to all the ladies who got here earlier than this era and we’re in a position to type of reap the advantages of their arduous work and dedication to the game,” Watkins mentioned. “I’m simply actually grateful to be right here now on this time and I believe the sport will proceed to develop and can proceed to evolve. It’s only a nice area for faculty basketball and faculty sports activities.”

With JuJu Watkins’ partnership with State Farm official, her first business that includes the notorious Jake from State Farm not too long ago aired. Earlier than the deal turned official, it was introduced that Watkins had a documentary sequence within the works that was being sponsored by the insurance coverage firm.

As she continues to develop her personal model, she appears like State Farm is an ideal firm to companion with to proceed to raise her standing within the basketball world.

“State Farm has at all times been a model that I used to be at all times excited about, and I grew up loving their commercials,” Watkins mentioned. “So simply to be part of that and be capable of do commercials like I simply did with Jake, and be on that platform and seen in that highlight, it’s undoubtedly useful for me. I’m simply actually grateful that I’m in a position to stand alongside only a nice model total.”

JuJu Watkins’ a frontrunner at USC

Whereas the off-the-court accolades and recognition are surging, it’s the on-the-court outcomes that drives JuJu Watkins as she navigates her sophomore season at USC.

The Trojans got here into the 2024-25 season because the No. 3 ranked staff within the nation within the AP ballot. They had been picked because the No. 1 staff within the Huge Ten Convention. Following a disappointing loss to the Notre Dame Preventing Irish again on Nov. 22, they slipped to No. 6. However the staff stays a contender to make a deep NCAA Event run.

With the surge in recognition of ladies’s basketball, USC has reaped the advantages. It was simply a few years in the past, previous to the arrival of Watkins, that the ladies’s basketball staff wasn’t attracting any crowds. However with Watkins within the fold, and Lindsay Gottlieb on the helm, the Trojans have develop into a vacation spot for each potential recruits and for followers.

“Fan assist has been great and an enormous side to our success final 12 months, and can proceed to have a big effect on us this 12 months. However I’d say the principle progress, truthfully, has been the coed part which is one thing that we didn’t get in any respect final 12 months,” Watkins mentioned. “To see that our personal friends and college students are coming to assist us, I believe meaning rather a lot. I believe pupil sections make faculty, they only give a unique power to the sport. And to see that we’re type of creating our personal motion at ‘SC, and to see our pals supporting USC, it means rather a lot.”

And there actually has been loads for the Trojans’ trustworthy to cheer for. Final season, USC reached the Elite Eight for the primary time since 1994 following a daily season wherein Watkins broke quite a few faculty and NCAA data.

Simply this season, Watkins handed Caitlin Clark to develop into the 4th quickest NCAA ladies’s basketball participant to succeed in the 1,000 profession factors milestone. She not too long ago dropped 40 factors in a USC win final week whereas setting the brand new faculty document for many three-pointers in a single sport with 9.

Watkins has been averaging 25.0 factors, 5.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.6 steals and a couple of.1 blocked photographs. Her factors per sport leads the nation. She’s taking pictures 46.9 p.c from the sector, 37.3 p.c from the three-point line and 78.5 p.c taking pictures from the free-throw line. For her, the primary factor she wished to work on was her on-court IQ.

“I believe my IQ has undoubtedly grown rather a lot, simply with the ability to learn issues higher and faster,” Watkins mentioned. “That’s one of many areas I actually developed on this previous summer time.”

For the reason that Notre Dame loss, USC has rattled off 4 straight wins, together with their Huge Ten opener in opposition to Oregon. The staff has been bolstered by the addition of a pair of affect transfers in Kiki Iriafen and Talia von Oelhoffen, in addition to a proficient 2024 freshman class.

Though the staff has seemed relatively stable within the early goings of the season, JuJu Watkins believes that USC can nonetheless attain one other degree.

“I believe that what makes me so optimistic about this group is that persons are prepared to do no matter it takes. I believe that’s actually the deciding issue for us, is simply everyone being purchased in and prepared to do no matter it takes,” Watkins mentioned. “We’ll proceed to evolve all through the season, and with extra video games performed and attending to know one another higher, that’s simply going to be actually useful for us.

“I’d say we’re out actually but. We’re not the place we fairly must be,” Watkins continued. “However we’ll proceed to evolve. . .and get higher all through the season, as a result of that’s actually the place progress is made.”