USC QB Caleb Williams is the first Heisman winner “to have his entire career play out” in the NIL era of collegiate sports, but Williams has not "used his funds only to enrich himself,” according to Michael Lee of the WASHINGTON POST. Williams signed his first NIL deal with Beats by Dre as a true freshman. He has “continued to build a seven-figure portfolio since,” with brands, including AC+ION Water, Neutrogena and PlayStation, that “align with both his image and his interests.” Before taking a snap at USC, he launched a charity, the Caleb Cares Foundation, to “combat bullying and address mental health.” He paid for his offensive linemen to travel to N.Y. for the Heisman Trophy ceremony. And while making a homecoming visit to D.C. in May, he “launched an East Coast branch of his charity and created a scholarship at his high school alma mater,” Gonzaga College in the District, to “pay for the tuition of a student from an underserved community.” Williams also “filmed a commercial for Nissan at the Heisman House and another with his mother for Dr Pepper” (WASHINGTON POST, 8/25).
