The coolest NIL deal among Nebraska football players may now belong to a 19-year-old freshman whose name says it all.
Decoldest Crawford and SOS Heating & Cooling have come together to promote the Omaha-based HVAC company in one of the more creative partnerships in 13 months of college student-athletes profiting from their name, image and likeness. The first-year receiver — whose full name is Decoldest Juan Crawford — will appear in advertisements across radio, print social media and maybe television beginning in late August.
“We want to be the coldest,†said Jake Wasikowski, an SOS public relations specialist. “We are the coldest AC company in Omaha and just having Decoldest out there saying that is music to my ears.â€
Wasikowski perked up immediately in December when the consensus three-star 2022 prospect from Shreveport, Louisiana, committed to Nebraska. He and longtime friend and SOS owner Jon Stuehm agreed then it was too perfect not to pursue an NIL deal.
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So they did. Wasikowski reached out on social media and eventually went through Crawford’s agency, Athletes Branding and Marketing (ABM). They began shooting some spots this month, posting a few photos on social media.
“I knew it was going to explode,†Wasikowski said. “I just didn’t know it was going to explode right away.â€
SOS — which will sponsor weather reports on the Huskers Radio Network this fall and already has regular radio ads — has already gotten a few five-star Google reviews in the wake of the Crawford deal. One simply read, “De coldest.â€
The company understands there is some risk, Wasikowski said, considering Crawford — the first recruit landed by new position coach Mickey Joseph — has yet to play a down in college. NU’s receiver rotation is largely undefined as it began fall camp Wednesday in the run-up to the Aug. 27 season opener against Northwestern in Ireland.
SOS and Crawford saw an opportunity. Neither wanted to be left out in the cold.
“We’re really excited to be a part of what he hopefully will be with the Huskers,†Wasikowski said. “With a name like Decoldest, we knew we wanted to be part of it right away. He’s a pretty humble guy. He’s a little shy about it right now but he’s going to enjoy it once we get the commercials going.â€â€‹