WWE has announced the third class of 15 college athletes for their “Next In Line” program.
The following is a press release from WWE regarding the newest recruits to the NIL program:
WWE® Adds 15 Athletes to Award-Winning NIL Program
01/26/2023
“Next In Line” Enters Second Year with Growing Roster of All Americans
STAMFORD, Conn.–(BUSINESS WIRE)– WWE (NYSE: WWE) today revealed the third class of 15 college athletes who will join the company’s award-winning NIL (Name, Image & Likeness) program – “Next In Line™” – that provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE.
The class is highlighted by two-time NCAA All American wrestler Greg Kerkvliet from Penn State University, four-time NCAA National Champion thrower Turner Washington from Arizona State University and NCAA Champion hurdler Alia Armstrong from Louisiana State University.
The third “Next In Line” class includes athletes from 14 universities, nine NCAA conferences and seven different sports. The program welcomes its first athletes from women’s wrestling, soccer, tennis, and softball.
Name
School
Sport
Height/Weight
Hometown
Abby Jacobs
South Alabama
Soccer
5’ 7”
Gulf Breeze, Fla.
Alexandra Jaksec
Mary Washington
Tennis
5’ 4”
Pittsburgh, Pa.
Alia Armstrong
LSU
Track & Field
5’ 4”
Baton Rouge, La.
Cameron Jones
Cincinnati
Football
6’ 8”, 320 lbs.
Hindman, Ky.
Dee Beckwith
Kentucky
Football
6’ 5”, 235 lbs.
Florence, Ala.
Greg Kerkvliet
Penn State
Wrestling
6’ 3”, 250 lbs.
Inver Grove Heights, Minn.
Isaiah Iton
Rutgers
Football
6’ 2”, 290 lbs.
Houston, Texas
Jaiden Fields
Georgia
Softball
5’ 9”
Kennesaw, Ga.
Landon Jackson
Arkansas
Football
6’ 7”, 275 lbs.
Texarkana, Texas
Mady Aulbach
Youngstown State
Basketball
5’ 3”
Slippery Rock, Pa.
Nick Dawkins
Penn State
Football
6’ 4”, 315 lbs.
Allentown, Pa.
Otoniel Badjana
Pittsburgh
Track & Field
5’ 11”, 245 lbs.
Lisbon, Portugal
Peyton Prussin
Life University
Wrestling
5’ 4”
Las Vegas, Nev.
Tori Ortiz
Oklahoma State
Track & Field
5’ 9”
Batavia, Ill.
Turner Washington
Arizona State
Track & Field
6’ 5”, 290 lbs.
Tucson, Ariz.
The “Next In Line” program has signed 46 college athletes since its inception in December 2021 including the program’s first signee, Olympic Gold medalist Gable Steveson. The program serves to recruit and develop potential future Superstars and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds. WWE has signed athletes from 13 different sports including 35 members of Power-Five conferences who have collectively earned 40 NCAA All American Honors and 12 NCAA National Championships.
All athlete partnerships feature access to the state-of-the-art WWE Performance Center in Orlando, Fla., in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations. Upon completion of the NIL program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract.
The program’s athletes boast impressive social media followings with more than 10 million combined followers on TikTok and nearly three million combined followers on Instagram. WWE currently has one of the largest fanbases on TikTok with 20.9 million followers and more than 27 million Instagram followers.
Learn more about the “Next In Line” program at wwerecruit.com.
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What do you think of the latest WWE NIL class? Do you think this is a good way to build the future of the company? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off in the comments section below.
