Dalton Wagner once joked that when he was finished playing football, he might become a professional wrestler.
Well, it seemed like a joke.
Wagner, Arkansas starting right tackle, was one of 15 collegiate athletes signed to an NIL on Tuesday by WWE, the professional wrestling organization. An NIL is a Name, Image, Likeness agreement that provides college students an opportunity to enter a business relationship with a partner organization.
The most famous wrestling brand in the world is using “NIL” to stand for next-in-line, as it hopes to provide a pathway for the 15 athletes signed to the WWE.
Wagner, who is 6-foot-9 and 330 pounds, has been Arkansas primary right tackle for the past year and a half. He is one of six football players of the 15, which also includes six women.
Arkansas plays Penn State on January 1 in the Outback Bowl.