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Washington State WR Calvin Jackson Jr. becomes one of first local athletes to capitalize on new NIL rules

Washington State wide receiver Calvin Jackson Jr., who has more than 22,000 followers on social media, first gained popularity when his Independence (Kansas) Community College team was featured during Season 3 of “Last Chance U” on Netflix. (Tyler Tjomsland / The Spokesman-Review)
By Theo Lawson theol@spokesman.com(509) 459-5584

Four years ago, Calvin Jackson Jr. gained national notoriety for his role in Netflix hit “Last Chance U” – a docuseries that spent a season following Jackson’s football team at Independence (Kansas) Community College.

Jackson and many of the ICC players who were featured prominently in Season 3 of “Last Chance U” picked up thousands of social media followers as Netflix users binged their way through the eight-episode season.

Jackson, an outside receiver at Washington State who’s expected to compete for a starting role this fall, now has one of the strongest social media brands on the Cougars’ football team, with more than 22,000 followers between Twitter and Instagram.

Indirectly, his role in the “Last Chance U” series may have also helped the Florida native become one of the first local college athletes to monetize from his name, image and likeness.

On Thursday, the first day NCAA athletes could capitalize on their NIL, Jackson announced a partnership with College Football Edits, a popular Instagram page that generates graphics and edits of college football players. The College Football Edits page has a following of more than 73,300.

“Excited to announce my 1st Official Partnership with the Best CFB Page & Designer in the Industry, @CollegeFootballEdits,” Jackson wrote in an Instagram caption. “Everyone go help him hit 75k followers! We got some BIG things coming together!”

Jackson didn’t provide any further details or specifics regarding his partnership with College Football Edits and it’s unclear if any other Washington State athletes have negotiated sponsorships.

Wednesday was a landmark day for the NIL movement, as the NCAA Board of Governors voted to allow college athletes in all states to capitalize on their name, image and likeness, approving interim policy until federal legislation is passed.

Originally, athletes in only seven states were going to take advantage of new NIL policy, but the NCAA’s Division I Council convened early this week and recommended the Board of Governors consider the interim policy that was approved Wednesday.