ATLANTA, Dec. 15, 2025 — NIL Club, the leading platform connecting brands with college student-athletes, announced today that it has facilitated over 3 million verified conversions for brand partners throughout 2025, marking a defining year for performance-based NIL marketing.
The milestone underscores the growing demand among brands seeking authentic ways to reach Gen Z consumers through trusted college athlete voices. Unlike traditional influencer marketing, NIL Club's model delivers measurable outcomes. Brands pay only when athletes drive real results such as app downloads, sign-ups, purchases, and in-store visits.
Why Brands Choose College Athlete Marketing
College student-athletes represent a unique opportunity for brands looking to connect with young consumers. With over 650,000 athletes on NIL Club representing a combined 1.5 billion social media followers, brands gain access to authentic voices embedded in campus communities, friend groups, and local networks.
"Brands are asking how they can reach college students more effectively, and the answer is through the athletes those students already follow and trust," said Mick Assaf, co-founder of YOKE. "Our 3 million conversions prove that when you combine authentic athlete content with performance-based accountability, you get results that traditional advertising simply can't match."
Categories Driving Growth
NIL Club saw particularly strong performance across QSR (quick-service restaurants), fintech, and fitness categories in 2025. Campaigns in these verticals benefited from athletes' natural alignment with brands that fit their active lifestyles and the spending habits of their college-age audiences.
Leading brands such as Subway, SoFi, Slate Milk, and Hardee's leveraged NIL Club's network to run campaigns that combined scale with authenticity. These partnerships demonstrated that large-scale athlete activations can outperform traditional influencer strategies when built around genuine creator freedom.
The Performance Marketing Advantage
NIL Club's platform enables brands to run cost-per-action (CPA) campaigns where payment is tied directly to results. This performance-based model has proven especially attractive to brands seeking measurable ROI from their marketing spend. The platform's integration with major affiliate networks, including Impact.com, CJ Affiliate, and ShareASale, allows seamless tracking and attribution across campaigns.
"We've removed the guesswork from influencer marketing," said Mick Assaf. "Every conversion is tracked, verified, and attributed. That transparency is why brands keep coming back."
Looking Ahead to 2026
NIL Club plans to expand its offerings in 2026 with new cashback and commission-based programs designed to work with a broader range of e-commerce brands. The platform anticipates onboarding over 200 new brand partners as it continues to build infrastructure for scalable, compliant athlete marketing.
For brands interested in learning how NIL Club can drive verified conversions through college athlete marketing, visit nilclub.com/business.