John Daly II has played exactly one tournament for the University of Arkansas and posted just a single round under par during that event, but that didn’t stop the freshman from signing a name, image, likeness deal with Hooters, an agreement that was announced on Tuesday.
The son of two-time major champ John Daly played in one tournament last fall for the Razorbacks, posting scores of 83-68-78 at the Blessings Collegiate Invitational in October.
The Dalys combined in December to win the PNC Championship at the Ritz-Carlton Golf Club in Orlando, using a 36-hole total of 27-under 117 to beat Tiger and Charlie Woods. In the process, the tandem broke the previous tournament scoring record set by Davis Love III/Dru Love in 2018 by one stroke, and earned Team Daly the red-leather Willie Park winner’s belts.
Hooters has signed father-son duo John Daly and John Daly II in its first NIL agreement for a college athlete. The Dalys will promote the world-famous @Hooters brand through various marketing activities, including significant roles on social media and other digital channels. pic.twitter.com/gN2SKOP0KX
— Kristi Dosh (@SportsBizMiss) April 19, 2022
Also, the younger Daly placed T-12 in the 2022 New Year’s Invitational at St. Petersburg Country Club, posting rounds of 69 and 68 in the process. That event was won by Remi Chartier of East Tennessee State. The freshman from Clearwater has seen little time in the Arkansas lineup as stars Mateo Fernández de Oliveira and Luke Long have led the way. The Razorbacks won the SEC Match Play Championship in the fall at Shoal Creek, and currently sit at No. 11 in the Golfweek/Sagarin collegiate team rankings.
The senior Daly said via Twitter that he was happy to continue the family relationship with the brand.
“Can’t express how excited I am to be back with my @Hooters family & having my son beside me on the next generation!” he said.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
“Hooters is thrilled to make our long-standing relationship with John official and to enter an exciting new venture with Little John as our first NIL ambassador,” Bruce Skala, Hooters senior VP of marketing, said in a release. “John’s larger-than-life personality makes him an ideal representative of Hooters’ fun-loving spirit, while Little John will promote our brand to the next generation as one of the next big names in golf. We are ecstatic to have the Dalys, fantastic golfers and great personalities, on board as spokespeople for Hooters, the definitive 19th hole.”
NIL deals continue to make news as the stakes for college athletes is raised. For example, a five-star high school recruit in the 2023 class recently signed a name, image and likeness collective with a school that could earn him $8 million before his senior year at the college, The Athletic reported.
Since the Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision in June 2021 that threw out the NCAA’s restrictions on “education-related benefits,” almost 30 states have passed legislation about NIL and its governance, despite being no federal law to oversee it.
The NCAA is expected to file a report to discuss how NIL is impacting college athletics, despite the Supreme Court ruling that “the NCAA is not above the law” in its unanimous decision.
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