Memphis Tigers' marketability evident in NIL rankings

Welcome back to the Tigers Basketball newsletter. Today, Tigers beat writer Jason Munz:

Barely six months into the name, image and likeness era of college athletics, Memphis Tigers athletes have quickly established themselves among the most marketable in the country.

Memphis athletes' NIL ventures are managed by OpenDorse – a leading NIL readiness company that provides personalized resources and education for professional and college athletes as they endeavor to build, protect and monetize their personal brands. All told, OpenDorse manages NIL matters for athletes from 524 NCAA institutions.

Memphis, which boasts nine different sports reporting at least one NIL activity, ranks second among all OpenDorse partners in average NIL compensation per activity. The Tigers are also No. 3 in total NIL compensation and fifth in average NIL compensation per athlete.

Among the other schools OpenDorse manages NIL transactions for are Texas, Clemson, Ohio State, LSU, Florida, Nebraska, Louisville, Houston, Washington and Indiana.

The Tiger basketball and football programs have been among the more visible thus far, with each one boasting multiple athletes having secured NIL deals. Most recently, Memphis star freshman Jalen Duren landed a sponsorship with the audio equipment company as part of its inaugural NIL class. Duren is represented in his NIL ventures by VaynerSports.

In November, Duren inked his first NIL deal with In-House, a digital marketplace for fashion brands headed up by celebrities, athletes and tastemakers. Teammate Lester Quinones also recently landed a deal with In-House.

On the court, the Tigers (9-5, 3-1 AAC) are riding a three-game winning streak and have won four of their last five games. They are back in action at UCF Wednesday (6 p.m., ESPN+).

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You can reach Commercial Appeal Tiger basketball beat writer Jason Munz via email at jason.munz@commercialappeal.com and follow him on Twitter: @munzly

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Memphis Tigers' marketability evident in NIL rankings