Fresno State kicker Abraham Montaño has landed his first Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) deal after becoming a member of Degree deodorant’s second annual Breaking Limits Team.
Degree confirmed Montaño’s addition to the Breaking Limits Team in an Aug. 2 news release, which said the brand is “committed to giving college athletes from a diverse set of schools, sports and backgrounds a platform to share their stories and inspire the confidence in everyone to break down barriers and push limits.”
Montaño stepped in for injured starting kicker Cesar Silva in Fresno State’s Sept. 4, 2021 away game against Oregon. He went 3-for-3 in field goal attempts in his first college start. During the season, he was 5-for-5 in field goal attempts, with two career-high 39-yard field goals and an average of 58.8 yards per kickoff.
Prior to his college football career, Montaño played soccer for 15 years, choosing to leave the sport he played most of his life “to start in a new one that seemed to be more promising for my academics, family and future,” he said on Instagram.
“As a Mexican American athlete, the last thing anyone expected was for me to pursue American football in college instead of fútbol,” he said. “As a Degree Partner, I look forward to sharing my full story with you all.”
Montaño received a notification on Opendorse Ready, the NIL readiness program, that announced his new endorsement deal.
“I opened [Opendorse] because I got a notification and I was like, ‘What the hell?’ because we usually just use it for pictures. Our team pictures go there. And then I checked and that came up and I was like, ‘Oh! NIL deal!’” Montaño said.
In August 2020, Fresno State became the first university athletics department in the Mountain West to join Opendorse. Director of Strategic Communications Stephen Trembley said the partnership would help student-athletes “maximize their NIL value” in a news release.
Opendorse CEO Blake Lawrence told The Fresno Bee that the company’s goal was to give every student-athlete the chance to monetize NIL.
“A student-athlete at Fresno State making an extra $2,000 a year isn’t going to grab headlines, but it’s going to change that kid’s life. It’s not going to be mind-blowingly big for every student-athlete, but anything more than zero is important,” he said.
Montaño said that the money from the NIL deal will go to rent, school and gas, calling it “a big help.” While this is his first deal, he is hoping for “many more.”
“If more come, I’ll gladly accept given that they’re under what I believe and fall under the right circumstances,” he said.
For now, Montaño said he is focused on preparing for the season home opener on Sept. 2 against Cal Poly.
“I’m just excited because I know me and my teammates have been working very hard. Obviously we’re in fall camp right now and it’s long days, but I think that we’re preparing well enough to, when it comes game day, the home opener, we’re going to be ready to put on a show,” Montaño said.