23 Student-Athletes and Entire Northwestern Field Hockey Team Join “Team Dunkin’”
PLANO, Texas – LEARFIELD announced today the rollout of a national relationship with Dunkin’ as the brand deepens its engagement with 182 million college sports fans – the nation’s largest sports fanbase. Dunkin’s newest “Team Dunkin’” class anchors the campaign and is comprised of 23 student-athletes and the entire Northwestern University field hockey team.
The male and female student-athletes across 10 sports will represent Team Dunkin’ wearing the colors and logos of their college or university while leveraging their name, image and likeness (NIL). The relationship is notable as it marks the first-of-its-kind utilizing official school IP combined with athlete NIL at scale.
| ATHLETE | SCHOOL | SPORT |
| Vanessa DiNardo | Cincinnati | Soccer (W) |
| Ice Brady | UConn | Basketball (W) |
| Zay Flowers | Boston College | Football |
| Savannah Perry | Colorado | Volleyball (W) |
| Matthew Boling | Georgia | Track & Field |
| Kenadi Brown | New Hampshire | Gymnastics (W) |
| Devin Carter | Providence | Basketball (M) |
| Ishmael Leggett | Rhode Island | Basketball (M) |
| Zia Cooke | South Carolina | Basketball (W) |
| Joseph Girard III | Syracuse | Basketball (M) |
| Jackson Pruitt | Temple | Football |
| Ashley Chevalier | Texas Tech | Basketball (W) |
| Cam Morrissey | Vermont | Ice Hockey (W) |
| Cara Lewis | Virginia Tech | Volleyball (W) |
| Jada Moore | Florida Atlantic | Basketball (W) |
| Jhenna Gabriel | UNLV | Volleyball (W) |
| Devyn Flaherty | Florida State | Softball |
| Armando Bacot | UNC | Basketball (M) |
| Jack Myers | Ohio State | Lacrosse (M) |
| Jahvon Quinerly | Alabama | Basketball (M) |
| Maya Nnaji | Arizona | Basketball (W) |
| Hendon Hooker | Tennessee | Football |
| Matt Koopman | UMASS | Ice Hockey (M) |
| Northwestern Field Hockey Team | ||
According to Zia Cooke, South Carolina women’s basketball, “Partnering and being part of Team Dunkin’ is the perfect fit for me. I’ve been a fan of the brand for a long time, so I’m thrilled to be teaming up with other accomplished athletes to represent Team Dunkin’. I’m excited to show everyone how I get my coffee fix and highlight some of my favorite items.”
The multi-faceted relationship also involves an integrated Dunkin’ sponsorship at 24 colleges and universities respectively where LEARFIELD is the athletics multimedia rightsholder. This connection enables Dunkin’ to use the official university marks and logos in its marketing campaigns and in NIL activation through LEARFIELD’s Allied NIL initiative.
“I’m incredibly excited to be joining Team Dunkin’,” said Armando Bacot, University of North Carolina men’s basketball. “My mom and I have loved their coffee since I was young, so it was a dream come true! I’m honored to be included in this partnership alongside such talented athletes.”
“We’re proud to work with Dunkin’ on this innovative partnership designed to create rich and differentiated engagement in the college space,” said John Brody, Chief Revenue Officer, LEARFIELD. “This was a true collaboration built to tie together the passion of college sports fans with the voice of the student-athlete and the schools, ultimately delivering for Dunkin’ a platform that is authentic and has never been done before at this scale in the college ecosystem. Our proprietary digital platform, Fan365, also allows for a customized approach to reaching Dunkin’ consumers across the country.”
While LEARFIELD does not represent student-athletes in sponsored deals, the company does provide its multimedia rights school partners, and national and local brands, access to comprehensive NIL solutions through its Allied initiative. Team Dunkin’ student-athletes were secured by NIL marketplace leader Opendorse on behalf of Dunkin’ and through a collaboration with LEARFIELD.
About LEARFIELD
LEARFIELD is a media, data and technology services leader in intercollegiate athletics. The company unlocks the value of college sports for brands and fans through an omnichannel platform with innovative content and commerce solutions. LEARFIELD services include licensing and collegiate sports properties’ multimedia sponsorship management; publishing, audio, digital and social media; data analytics and insights; ticketing software; and ticket sales, premium seating, and fundraising services; branding; campus-wide business and sponsorship development; and venue technology systems. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for NACDA’s acclaimed LEARFIELD Directors’ Cup, recognizing athletic departments across all divisions.