"Might break the highest NIL record": Fans impressed with Cooper Flagg's latest deal with Gatorade

Fans reacted as Duke’s star freshman Cooper Flagg added a PepsiCo to his bag of NIL deals. The Gatorade Player Best Male Player of the Year and sports drink, Gatorade, struck an agreement, making Flagg the first male college basketball player associated with the brand. He's yet to step in an official college basketball game with the Blue Devils.

Flagg joins Paige Bueckers (UConn Huskies), JuJu Watkins (USC Trojans) and Shedeur Sanders (Colorado Buffaloes). While details of Flagg’s deal with Gatorade are undisclosed, expect the best players in the 2024 class to appear regularly in Gatorade’s marketing campaigns.

While Cooper Flagg's On3 NIL valuation doesn't show a change after the Gatorade deal, he's expected to have the top valuation in college basketball, $2.6 million.

Fans flooded the comment section with their thoughts on Flagg's latest deal:

"College sports have changed. All players deserve to get paid, but it’s great to see athletes like Cooper Flagg finally getting the life-changing money they deserve in college," a fan wrote.

"cooper flagg might break the highest nil record," another commented.

"He’s about to do crazy numbers in NIL deals.," another fan wrote.

More fans joined in, wishing Flagg luck with his new endeavor:

"Great move by both parties," a fan wrote.

"Not a bad investment," another fan commented.

"Kid is LeeeGit. Duke has a very nice squad with very good freshman and experience.," another fan wrote.

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Along with individual success, Cooper Flagg also has the pressure for team-oriented dominance

The hype around a 17-year-old Flagg sparked from his high school matchups, where the 6-foot-9 forward dominated through his unique blend of athleticism and skills. However, the bigger element that enabled Flagg to regularly headline the AAU landscape was his team's success.

Not only was Flagg able to hold his own against other top players in the nation, he lifted his team to victory in these high-stakes matchups. Despite playing for different teams, Cooper Flagg had the last laugh against the Boozer twins (Cayden and Cameron Boozer). He led Montverde Eagles to a win against Explorers in Dec. 2023. Flagg also defeated the Nightrydas, the eventual 2024 Peach Jam champions, in the opening game of the tournament.

In Jan. 2024, his Montverde Academy defeated AJ Dybantsa’s Prolific Prep in the 2024 MAIT Championship game. AJ Dybantsa and Cameron Boozer make up the top 2 recruits in the 2025 class.