The second category of WWE College Athletes receiving the Name, Image and Equality Agreement includes four competitors from men’s basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and cheer and dance as well as Power Five football events.
Participating in WWE’s “Next in Line” program, the 15-member group will train at the Promotion Performance Center in Orlando, Florida, and gain resources in areas such as brand building and media communications. Gable Stevenson, the Olympic gold medalist and NCAA champion in heavyweight wrestling, made his first NIL class debut in the WWE with Miami basketball twins and social media stars Haley and Hannah Cavinder.
The new group includes Auburn All-America gymnast Darian Goborn, Tennessee track and field standout chandler Hayden, Pac-12 heavyweight wrestling champion Kohlton Schultz, and dance athlete Ali Matox.
Illinois Tight & Luke Ford, a former ESPN Top 100 recruit who began his career in Georgia, made headlines with Arizona State Fullback Case Hatch, linebacker Thunder Cakes from Stanford and Michigan State Tight & Malik Carr and Troop Players. Purdue also plays for MSU’s basketball team. The class also includes Hampton linebacker Keshon Moore, the first NIL signer of WWE’s HBCU program. Hayden and Central Michigan basketball player Mikaela Hall share a large social media following.
WWE launched the Next in-line program to identify and develop future superstars at a young age. Former standout Dwayne “The Rock” has a long history of recruiting former college players, including Johnson (Miami football) and college football Hall of Famer Ron Simmons (Florida State) and current star Roman Reyns (Georgia Tech football), and Bianca. Belarus (Tennessee track and field). The average age of the 26 players in WWE’s zero schedule is – 12 females, 14 males – 21.4.
WWE’s newest NIL class will be unveiled Monday night at the inaugural NIL Summit held at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. In March, WWE hosted a test for 45 current and former college players as part of WrestleMania Week in the Dallas area.