2027 Class four-star QB Peyton Houston uses his NIL deal to buy special gift for entire high school football team

The introduction of NIL in college sports in 2021 has brought heavy competition to sign top high school recruits. A notable player in this regard is four-star quarterback Peyton Houston from Evangel Christian Academy.

Last week, Houston inked a deal with Oofos, a footwear brand known for its recovery slides and also provided his teammates with these innovative shoes. While gifting the slides, he expressed his heartfelt appreciation for his teammates, saying (via Tennessee Rivals):

"Pastor Denny (Duron) earlier this year spoke on love, so I thought right then and there it was just a great time to show how much I really love my teammates and was able to give them some slides."

Oofos unique slides can absorb 37% more impact than traditional foam materials. Such quality footwear is beneficial for athletes recovering from the physical demands of training and competition.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association has embraced the NIL era by allowing high school athletes to capitalize on their publicity rights. It has enabled talented players like Houston to secure lucrative NIL deals while also remaining focused on their athletic and academic goals.

Peyton Houston, who started his high school career at Calvary but transferred to Evangel early in the 2023 season, is already making waves. Despite being just a sophomore, he has received a dozen scholarship offers from programs, including Arkansas, Mississippi State, Ole Miss, Colorado, Texas Tech and Texas A&M, among others.

Peyton Houston signed another big NIL deal this year

Before signing with Oofos, Peyton Houston signed a multi-year exclusive trading card deal with Leaf Trading Cards in May, joining an elite group of young quarterbacks that includes the USC Trojans commit Julian Lewis, the Tennessee Volunteers commit George MacIntyre and the Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway.

Houston’s first addition to his collection, a gift from Leaf, features soccer star Neymar Jr. Houston shared his excitement with The Shreveport-Bossier City Advocate, saying:

"It's amazing. I'm blessed. I thank God for everything."

Josh Pankow, the president of Leaf Trading Cards, is keen on leveraging the rising value of quarterbacks in the trading card market.

"We've signed a lot of the top high school quarterbacks to deals and a lot of them have been exclusive," Pankow told SI . "We're really trying to lock up the next generation of stars that are all the high school kids."

Houston is still unranked by major scouting services like On3, 247 Sports and ESPN, but Rivals recognizes his potential, placing him as the No. 15 overall prospect in the 2027 class. The signal-caller is represented by Team IFA, which played a big role in negotiating the deal alongside Lionheart Sports Agency.