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The University of Alabama’s Crimson Tide defensive back Ga’Quincy McKinstry landed a partnership with Kool-aid after being nicknamed “Kool-aid” most of his life.
McKinstry’s new deal comes just months after the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCCA) changed its names, images, or likeness (NIL) laws, allowing athletes to profit off their image or name. The change came after decades of barring college athletes from money-making opportunities.
Kool-Aid welcomed McKinstry by swapping social media account names with the freshman player.
“In honor of our new partnership, we’ve swapped names with Kool-Aid McKinstry and given him the power of OH YEAH,” the brand’s Twitter bio read, according to CBS Sports.
OHHH YEAHH! @GaQMcK1 #ItsOfficial #SigningDay #BrandAthlete pic.twitter.com/bfiO9KwIW9
— Kool-Aid Man (@koolaid) August 18, 2021
McKinstry also celebrated his new sponsorship by stating in his bio: “Honored to partner with Kool-Aid the Brand. I will be sharing the OH YEAH title with the Kool-Aid Man!”
He then tweeted the brand’s famous slogan, “OHHH YEAH!”
As a child, McKinstry gained the nickname “Kool-aid” from his grandma, who said he came into the world smiling like the Kool-Aid Man.
In an interview with CBS This Morning, the ball player said he’d been hoping to secure the partnership with his favorite drink company.
“I am a big Kool-Aid fan,” he said. “It’s something I always dreamed of, it’s something I always dreamed to be a part of, so hopefully that can happen one day in the near future.”
McKinstry is among several players who’ve taken advantage of sponsorships following the NCCA change. The son of rapper Master P, Hercy Miller, secured a $2 million endorsement deal with an American technology company. An incoming Tennessee State University hoop star, Miller secured the most lucrative deal since the rule change thus far.
Other college athletes who’ve signed NIL deals include the University of Miami’s D’Eriq King, who scored a deal with the National Hockey League’s Miami Panthers, and Johnson C. Smith University’s Ky’Wuan Dukes, who partnered with Bojangles.
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