Wisconsin Badgers Star Safety Given Truck as Part of NIL Deal

The world of NIL is ever-evolving, and thanks to the Varsity Collective and Camp Randall Club, the Wisconsin Badgers football program has the resources it needs to retain their own talent.

Arguably, the most crucial defensive talent to keep in the fold was Wisconsin Badgers star safety Hunter Wohler. The Muskego native earned 2nd team All-Big Ten Honors after registering 120 tackles (2nd most in B1G), six pass deflections, two interceptions, and a sack.

Fortunately, Wohler announced he was returning for his senior season in Madison to help lead the defense. By all accounts, the Varsity Collective has helped pair him with a regional business partner who has helped take care of the in-state product quite nicely. 

Wisconsin Football Star Hunter Wohler Gets Truck via NIL Partnership 

Kunes Auto, a family-owned and operated dealership group with locations across the midwest, recently had their Platteville location present Wisconsin football safety Hunter Wohler with a 2022 RAM 1500 Big Horn.

Sales Manager and Top Salesman of Kunes CDJR in Platteville, WI had the pleasure of delivering a 2022 RAM 1500 Big Horn to our Badger friend @HunterWohler!

Thank you for choosing Kunes and giving us the awesome tour of Camp Randall. Enjoy your truck and welcome to the Kunes… pic.twitter.com/gWqTWcc7nU

— Kunes Auto and RV Group (@KunesAutoGroup) January 22, 2024

One of the most fascinating aspects of the NIL movement in college athletics is that there’s almost no way to tell what a player is worth on the open market—and we’ll also never know all of the partnerships they hold.

On3 is one of the few outlets that’s attempted to tackle putting together a tool to estimate a player’s price tag, and according to their site’s valuation, Wohler is the Wisconsin Badgers’ No. 8 most valuable player at $127k per year.

Their algorithm considers their on-field performance, social media influence, and national exposure to create their NIL projection.

Regardless, Wohler had a tremendous season for the Wisconsin football program and is the type of leader the Badgers desperately need in their locker room heading into next season.

Seeing the collective help find partners to reward Wohler for his efforts is what you would like to see and will help Luke Fickell and his staff build a strong program by recruiting, developing, and retaining their own.

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