UH basketball players Marcus Sasser, left, and Tramon Mark, who have an NIL deal with Star Pizza, are among the school's athletes who've cashed in on name, likeness and image for more than $2000 in the past 13 months.

Pizza and hot wings. Laser hair removal, designer menswear and diamonds. Even Old Spice and teddy bears. 

Nothing is out of bounds in the new world of collegiate product endorsements. 

University of Houston athletes reported 292 individual agreements worth more than $200,000 in the past 13 months, documents show, since being able to profit off their name, image and likeness. 

Not surprisingly, the men’s basketball team — coming off Final Four and Elite Eight appearances the past two seasons — accounted for $157,000, or more than three-fourths of all compensation between July 1, 2021, and Aug. 3, 2022, according to data obtained by the Houston Chronicle through a public records request. 

At least one athlete from 11 of the school’s 17 varsity sports received an NIL opportunity. Football accounted for the most NIL deals with 112, followed by women’s soccer (48), men’s basketball (43), women’s basketball (26) and baseball (26).  

The total value of all deals, which include a combination of cash or exchange for goods and services, was $205,560.06. Thirty-nine deals were for at least $1,000. 

While the data identified athletes only by sport, it offered a glimpse into some of the opportunities available since the NCAA adopted NIL legislation in summer 2021. It is unclear how many UH athletes have signed NIL deals; stars such as basketball players Marcus Sasser and Jamal Shead and football player Alton McCaskill are confirmed to have multiple deals, according to social media posts and public announcements.  

Star Pizza, in connection with the Hoop and Holler Houston collective, has signed NIL deals with Sasser and fellow basketball players Tramon Mark and Ramon Walker Jr., as well as football player D'Anthony Jones. 

UH men’s basketball players have benefited from their success — the Cougars are considered an early favorite to win the national title for the upcoming season — with lucrative deals that have reached five figures. 

Seven basketball players received $10,000 each for an appearance at the “Fore the Players Classic” golf tournament, co-hosted by Campio Sports, on June 13 at The Club at Carlton Woods. Four players received between $8,000-$8,500, and one player received $2,500. 

At another event, 14 players were each paid $3,000 for an autograph signing at Gallery Furniture between March 30 and April 5. 

Some other highlights from NIL deals involving UH athletes:  

• A football player received $5,000 in product from James Allen, an online diamond retailer, for an Instagram post. 

• A member of the men’s golf team was paid $5,000 for an appearance at Thoroughbred Ventures LLC, a non-operating oil and gas company based in Frisco. 

• Little Woodrow’s Bar & Grill paid a men’s basketball player $6,000 for NIL rights. 

• Former All-America kick returner Marcus Jones, now with the New England Patriots, signed a $2,000 deal with Southern Gents, an online men's shop. 

• A men’s basketball player received $1,000 to pitch Old Spice. 

• A women’s basketball player was paid $2,000 for photo/video/audio creation for Bonfire Wings. 

• Houston Tents & Events and Pinkerton’s BBQ both paid $4,000 for NIL deals with football players. 

• A football player received $3,000 from Sage Collectibles for an autographed item. 

• Members of the women’s basketball and soccer teams received $1,500 in services for Instagram posts for Semper Laser, a laser hair removal service. 

Data shows that UH athletes have participated in autograph signings and meet-and-greets and promoted everything from restaurants, clothing and sports apparel to protein supplements, energy gummies, sports drinks, food delivery services, headbands, hats and cellphone accessories. Other NIL partners include Chipotle, Barstool Sports, Perrier, Buffalo Wild Wings, Demeris Bar-B-Q and Fanatics. 

Ronald Hughey, UH women’s basketball coach, said Laila Blair, Julia Blackshell-Fair and Eryka Sidney were among players with NIL deals last season. The deals, Hughey said, included promotion of restaurants, ear pods and jerseys.  

“We saw an immediate impact,” said Hughey, who added that some of his players have been approached about the NFT (non-fungible token) marketplace. 

Hughey said the combination of performing on the court, “clean social media, doing great in classes and wonderful personality” will open the door to NIL deals. 

“Those deals will find you,” Hughey said. “You don’t have to hunt those things down.” 

Of the deals made with UH athletes, 143 involved the use of social media (Instagram, Twitter and TikTok) to promote a particular company or product. A total of 197 of the deals were for less than $100, the data shows. 

The partnership between football players Clayton Tune and Donavan Mutin with local auto dealership Chastang Ford announced in late July was not among the deals reported. 

Nationally, NIL agreements for athletes and schools have varied, depending on exposure and social media following, with some star players at Power Five programs signing six-figure deals. 

In June, Ohio State announced its athletes have disclosed more than 1,000 NIL deals worth several million dollars, believed to be the highest total in the nation. As of May, Kansas had 219 deals worth $380,915.01, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal. Alabama coach Nick Saban told reporters at SEC Media Days in July that his players made more than $3 million in NIL deals in the past year. 

Brands spent an estimated $917 million on NIL deals between July 1, 2021, and June 30, 2022, according to NIL platform Opendorse. An estimated $1.4 billion is expected to be spent in year two. 

Joseph Duarte has been a sports reporter for the Houston Chronicle since August 1996. He currently covers college athletics, focusing on the University of Houston. Previously, he wrote about the Houston Astros from 1998-2002, Houston Texans from 2002-05 and the Texas Longhorns from 2005-09. He came to the Houston Chronicle as part of an internship through the Sports Journalism Institute in 1995.