Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder inks NFT cope with Sweet Digital

Desmond Ridder, currently the most famous student athlete at the University of Cincinnati, dips far more than just his toes in the name, image and likeness pool.

The Bearcats senior quarterback who’s on watch for both of them 2021 Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award and the Maxwell Prize, has signed an exclusive non-fungible token (NFT) deal with digital collector Candy Digital, the company announced on Friday.

Ridder, who announced earlier this month that he had signed a NIL deal with sports agency Vayner Sports, will be featured in several NFT collectibles available for purchase in September.

More:Luke Fickell and Desmond Ridder are taking the Cincinnati Bearcats football program to new heights

“Inflated to expand my name and brand while also representing the best school in America,” Ridder said on a July 13 social post announcing he was joining Vayner Sports.

Ridder is just one of many college student-athletes who have seized financial opportunity since the NCAA board of directors repealed the NCAA’s antiquated rules that prohibit student-athletes from benefiting from their name, image, and likeness.

UC men’s basketball guard Jeremiah Davenport and UC sprinter Caisja Chandler have also closed NIL deals in recent weeks.

More:Details on UC Guard Jeremiah Davenport’s NIL Brand Ambassador Deal with The Job Center

More:Sprinter Caisja Chandler is the first UC student-athlete to bag the NIL advocacy

“What happened in college athletics on July 1 to Name, Image, Likeness was nothing short of a supernova,” said Gary Vaynerchuk, co-founder of Vayner Sports, a co-founder of the Candy Digital board of directors. “Student athletes can now market themselves in an unprecedented way, and coupled with a booming NFT marketplace, interest in their first-generation collectibles has never been so great.”

NFTs are digital assets that delegate ownership of a virtual item such as a picture, tweet, or video that is usually paid for in Ethereum cryptocurrency.

Candy Digital, which is building the official Major League Baseball NFT ecosystem where fans and collectors can buy, trade, and share officially licensed NFTs, will launch Sweet Futures in September ahead of college football season.

Sweet Futures will make NFT collectibles for some of the best college football players in the country. Ridder, Clemson quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell and Georgia quarterback JT Daniels will lead the launch, with Candy Digital announcing more players in the coming weeks.

Candy Digital officials told The Enquirer on Friday that they are not currently releasing the details of Ridder’s financial compensation. The University of Cincinnati declined to interview The Enquirer with Ridder on this story, citing the need to continue working on their “own internal NIL policy, particularly with full athlete training”.

“The launch of ‘Sweet Futures’ with top players like DJ, Sam, JT and Desmond underscores how powerful the combination of NFTs and college NIL rights will be,” said Scott Lawin, CEO of Candy Digital. “College sports fans are some of the most loyal and passionate consumers in the world, and ‘Sweet Futures’ will allow them to celebrate their passion for the best players on their team through a revolutionary new form of digital collectibles. This is an unprecedented moment in the history of university sports, when student athletes and fans celebrate together. “

Ridder, the 2020 American Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, enters his senior season number 2 in school history with 6,905 yards, 57 touchdowns and 20 interceptions.

More:Preseason honors for Luke Fickell, Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati Bearcats

More:Cincinnati Bearcats QB Desmond Ridder popular in 2022 NFL mock drafts

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound right-handed man persisted for 2,296 yards and 19 touchdowns against six interceptions in 2020 while hitting 592 yards and 12 more scores, the hastiest touchdowns of any FBS quarterback of the past season.

Ridder’s 22 dazzling career touchdowns are the most ever made by a UC quarterback.

Ridder, who is 30-5 as a starter, will open the 2021 season as the most successful quarterback in college football.

The Bearcats are slated to start the season on September 4th at Nippert Stadium against state rivals Miami University. The 125th Battle for the Victory Bell is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN +.