Maryland men’s basketball freshman forward Julian Reese and women’s basketball sophomore forward/guard Angel Reese officially inked an NIL deal with Outback Steakhouse, per release Wednesday.
The siblings are two of 12 college basketball players to join the company’s Outback TeamMATES program. As part of the deal, each athlete will have their favorite meal from the restaurant available for purchase online, which will help raise awareness and money for the American Cancer Society through the company’s partnership with Coaches vs. Cancer.
“We’re approaching one of the most exciting times on the sports calendar as college basketball fans prepare for the biggest games in March,” Brett Patterson, President of Outback Steakhouse, said in a press release. “The athletes we’ve teamed up with are not only great ambassadors of their sport but also their teams and communities. This is why we are excited to partner with them as they showcase what it really means to be a TeamMATE.”
Maryland is one of six schools involved, with the others being Duke (Trevor Keels, Lexi Gordon), North Carolina (Caleb Love, Deja Kelly), Michigan (Hunter Dickinson, Naz Hillmon), Villanova (Collin Gillespie, Maddy Siegrist) and Arizona State (Marcus Bagley, Jade Loville).
Angel, who is leading Maryland women’s basketball with 17.2 points per game, has been one of the best bigs in the nation this season under head coach Brenda Frese. The sophomore averages a double-double and she has the most steals (38) and blocks (20) on the roster. Her 10.3 rebounds per game are 4.3 more than anyone else on Maryland.
On the other hand, Angel’s brother Julian has been a positive contributor for the men’s program as a freshman. Julian has appeared in 21 games this season, collecting an average of 5.9 points and 4.7 rebounds per game in his first season of college basketball. His 20 total blocks lead the program.
Outback Steakhouse used the help of the Brand Marketing division of Excel Sports Management to execute this campaign.