Standing out from the crowd can be a good thing. Especially, if you have the ambition of making it count. The USA’s collegiate sports offer an incredible chance for athletes to make use of their looks and brand through the NIL (name, image, and likeliness), and being distinctively recognizable in a crowd definitely helps. And now, it looks like one NCAA volleyball player is about to join a long line of elite stars who continue to make the NIL a raging success.

With her hot pink hair, septum piercing, and dark eyeliner, Nora Hayd of Boise State University has been turning a lot of heads in the NCAA volleyball scene in recent times. Even her player shot for the beach volleyball team got Hayd a lot of attention from the fans. Her popularity has grown so much that some brands have come to believe that the Sophomore can go a long way with some backing.

NCAA volleyball star secures major deal

Hayd’s latest achievement has been shared via an X post from October 11 by SwimSwam’s Braden Keith. According to the social media update, Nora has been identified as the next athlete to be onboarded by the pop-culture merch and clothing brand Hot Topic. Considering how her gothic looks have made fans label the Boise State star as “gothlete” (goth athlete), it’s only natural that Hot Topic would show interest in collaborating with Hayd to make the most of NIL regulations.

“Hot Topic has signed their first NIL deal with a beach volleyball player from Boise State who took the hardest headshots you’ve ever seen,” gushed Keith’s post, as he explained why his “millennial heart” is having a hard time containing the excitement. However, a resident of Seattle, Hayd believes the headshot that has made her viral isn’t the perfect depiction of her full form. “That makeup is not my full makeup; I definitely pulled back,” she said about her picture for the squad.

And now, she’s looking to explore her new platform. “Now that I have kind of this platform, I’m trying to figure out what I want to do with it, and if there’s a message that I want to spread,” Hayd told TODAY. Along with Hot Topic, Nora also got contacted by MAC cosmetics through the NIL channels and has released her own graphic t-shirt via Boise State’s NIL store. “I think the idea that comes out of this is just to unapologetically be yourself,” she wishes to tell others to not try to fit in. While Hayd waits to see brighter days ahead, others are already racking in millions.

The NIL seeks to make life easier for athletes

Using the NCAA regulations, many collegiate athletes in the USA have experienced incredible growth both on and off the court. From Colorado Buffalos QB Shedeur Sanders to the reigning NCAA gymnastics champion Olivia Dunne, a number of athletes have reaped heavy benefits by using the NIL. The LSU queen Dunne recalled how the NIL helped her experience a massive surge in her valuation. “I couldn’t work with some of my favorite brands that were reaching out to me, that sucked. I remember my freshman year of college,” she was heard saying in the recently released Amazon show The Money Game.

Now, Dunne sits atop a multi-million dollar deal with Passes and Nautica, highlighting what the NIL brings to the table for those who wish to create a name for themselves outside of the court. But will the rising NCAA volleyball star be able to follow in Livvy’s footsteps and see a similar success in her life too? Only time will tell!