Kansas FB Jared Casey’s new Applebee’s ad perfectly plays into meteoric rise after 2-point conversion

“Hey, you always gotta go for two.”

Jared Casey’s last week is just one example highlighting the many benefits for college athletes now that they’re allowed to capitalize on their own names, images and likenesses.

The Kansas football walk-on freshman fullback became a hero for Jayhawks fans last weekend when he helped lift his 31-point underdog team Saturday to a 57-56 overtime win against Texas — Kansas’ first Big 12 win on the road since 2008. They had also never won against Texas in Austin until last weekend.

After the Longhorns scored on their first overtime possession, the Jayhawks followed up with a two-yard touchdown run from Devin Neal. And then they went for two and the win. Casey caught his first pass of the season from a scrambling Jalon Daniels and sealed the victory for Kansas to snap an eight-game losing streak.

So as Casey quickly became a star, he was also able to cash in a little.

As ESPN reported, he agreed to NIL deals with Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill & Bar restaurants in Kansas, along with the local Lewis Automotive Group. And this week, he shot an Applebee’s commercial at one restaurant in Lawrence — one that’s much better than the date night one serving as the bane of many college football fans’ existence.

While it’s obviously great to see Casey get to capitalize on his newfound stardom, his closing line in the ad perfectly plays into his meteoric rise: “Hey, you always gotta go for two.”

For his work, Casey said he received $800 in cash and $1,000 in Applebee’s gift cards, The Kansas City Star reported.

Kansas’ decision to go for two wasn’t even necessary at this point. College football overtime rules require teams to go for two after a touchdown in the second overtime, and then things get weird once they get to three overtimes. But the Jayhawks could have easily kicked the extra point and extended the game to a second overtime, but they went with a bold choice and clearly wanted to win then.

Here’s the two-point conversion that propelled Casey to stardom with multiple NIL deals.

Casey also said he plans to spend some of that gift card cash on his teammates for dinner at Applebee’s. And his favorite meal there? Per The Kansas City Star:

“My go-to is just a regular bacon cheeseburger,” Casey said with a smile. “My friends always make fun of me because wherever we go, I’m like, ‘Yeah, I’ll take a cheeseburger.’”

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