OOFOS Confirms Nil Deal With South Carolina Highlighters

February 13, 2025

This is the first ever NIL deal with a practice squad

February 13, 2025 /ENDURANCE SPORTSWIRE/ – OOFOS, the global leader in Active Recovery footwear, today announces a first-of-its-kind NIL partnership with the Highlighters, the South Carolina Women’s Basketball Program practice squad. The innovative deal emerges from OOFOS’ longstanding relationship with Dawn Staley, basketball legend and South Carolina basketball Head Coach, an investor in the brand since 2023. The Hall of Fame player stresses the importance of daily training and subsequent recovery, a core focus of both OOFOS and elite athletic programs.

As part of the unique NIL deal, OOFOS will provide a full recovery toolkit, including two pairs of custom slides with the Highlighter logo, to keep the squad feeling their best. The team will also receive additional pairs of OOFOS footwear throughout the year and be featured on the brand’s digital and social marketing channels. The players will have the opportunity to gift the full women’s team with their own custom slides with their mantra for this season – “uncommon”. Coach Staley, backed by decades of experience on the court and in the locker room, has seen firsthand the results of using every option available to propel her team to success. Those tools come in many forms, whether it’s prioritizing recovery or providing the best possible training experience with a strong, supportive practice team.

“The importance of our practice squad for the team is limitless, and they need recovery to help push the women’s team to be their best,” said Staley. The Highlighters are an extremely vital part of the women’s team, helping them to play at the highest level. The practice team exists to help the women’s team shine – their secret weapon to prepare for each opponent and play at the top of their game. The group must try out for their positions and once they are on the team, they willingly dedicate themselves to opponent research and practice sessions without seeing the benefits of a typical student athlete. The women’s team truly appreciates and values their contribution to their overall success and considers them part of the team. When they won the championship in 2024, the Highlighters also received rings.

OOFOS wanted to recognize the importance of practice teams within the college athletic sphere. NIL deals, the use of name, image, and likeness of athletes for marketing campaigns, have rapidly become a large part of promotional strategy across all collegiate sports. While many brands look to high profile athletes and teams, OOFOS was led to work with the practice squad because like the brand’s recovery footwear, the practice squad works behind the scenes to help the team perform at their best.

OOFOS has supported Staley for several years, elevating the coach and her team in their highest moments with congratulatory press announcements after their championship wins and showcasing Staley in national OOFOS television spots. The innovative NIL deal with the Highlighters is yet another step in the relationship, providing an essential recovery tool required by all high-performing athletes. Like the Highlighters, OOFOS’ proprietary OOfoam™ technology acts a secret weapon, absorbing 37% more impact than traditional foam materials and decreasing load rates up to 88% so the team can recover faster.*

“OOFOS was founded to revolutionize the footwear space and create a solution for Active Recovery, just as the Highlighters change the game for the women’s team,” said Dave Mischler, OOFOS Chief Operating Officer. “The effort required to support such a successful team requires research-backed recovery tools, and we’re honored to be able to work with this level of the organization.”

*Based on a 2018 University of Virginia School of Medicine Speed Clinic.

About OOFOS

OOFOS is the global leader in recovery footwear, founded by a team of industry veterans looking to help runners and fitness enthusiasts recover better from their workouts. Made with revolutionary OOfoam™ technology, OOFOS are designed to absorb 37% more impact than traditional footwear. They reduce stress on joints to keep anyone, of any activity level, feeling their best. From professional athletes to casual walkers, OOFOS footwear will make your hard-working feet and body feel better – all you have to do is feel the OO. For more information, go to www.oofos.com.

Contact:

Jennifer Keddy
jkeddy@oofos.com