For years, insurance giant State Farm’s commercials have featured some of the biggest names in American sports—Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Warriors guard Chris Paul, and (formerly) Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, to name just a few.
Ahead of the 2024 basketball season, a new name is joining that roster—under unique circumstances.
Iowa guard Caitlin Clark signed with the company Tuesday morning, becoming the first college athlete to endorse State Farm under new rules governing name, image and likeness rights (NIL).
🚨 Good Neighbor News! 🚨 Excited to welcome @CaitlinClark22 to our State Farm family! pic.twitter.com/xPkYU0EEvS
— State Farm (@StateFarm) October 10, 2023
“State Farm is a team that looks out for others, which is exactly the kind of legacy I want to leave beyond the basketball court,” Clark said in a corporate press release. “I’m honored to be the first college athlete to join the Good Neighbor team—in khakis of course and [I] look forward to growing the women’s game together.”
Clark has been an AP All-American all three years of her college career, averaging 27.2 points in 100 games. In a transcendent women’s NCAA tournament run last year, she averaged 31.8 points per game while leading the Hawkeyes to the national championship game.
Iowa opens Clark's fourth season against Fairleigh Dickinson on Nov. 6.
