By Nora Neville, Vandegrift High School, Austin, Texas
Nick Evers, a freshman quarterback on the University of Oklahoma football team, is by all accounts an incredible athlete. He is the former quarterback of Flower Mound High School and was invited to the Elite 11 finals before the start of his senior year. Even though Evers hasn’t yet played a regular season game as a Sooner, he is already making an impact in the community around him.
Evers has agreed to donate 100% of his earnings from his first NIL (name image and likeness) deal to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. He plans to split these earnings between Make-A-Wish North Texas and Make-A-Wish Oklahoma.
Evers gives credit to his parents for inspiring his decision. “I have had two really supportive parents, and they really taught me how to love people,” Evers said.
Derrick Evers, Nick’s father said that his son’s decision is humbling to see as a parent.
“Oftentimes, as a parent you wonder if the lessons that you try to instill in your children are being received,” he said.
He noted how Nick’s quarterback coach, Kevin Murray, father of former OU quarterback and Heisman winner Kyler Murray, helped instill a lead-by-example attitude in Nick.
“He’s just working his butt off behind the scenes and when it’s time to step into the light he’ll be prepared for it and I think that’s what Kevin helped instill in him,” Evers said. “You don’t have to be this big poke-my-chest-out, look-at me type of individual, right? You can lead by example, and you can work without recognition. So, Kevin has been tremendous and been in his life since ninth grade and we’re really thankful to him.”
Nick Evers secured a spot as one of the nation’s best high school quarterbacks, earning a ranking among QBs like Clemson commit Cade Klubnik and Texas A&M commit Connor Weigman, according to 247 Sports. At 6-foot-3 and 179 pounds, he threw 25 touchdowns and only 6 interceptions in his junior year.
Apart from his work on the field, the freshman not only hopes to make a change in the lives of others, but to inspire his fellow teammates and college football players to do the same.
“It’s actually pretty cool,” he said. “I have been told that other college quarterbacks have gotten involved with Make-A-Wish because of what I have started doing.”
Brad Bargols, president and chief executive officer of Make-A-Wish Oklahoma, raved about Evers.
“Nick’s offer made an immediate sensation nationally,” Bargols said. “I think it received nearly a million social media impressions in just the first six or eight hours and eventually more than 2 million. You have to remember that NIL was absolutely brand new, and it wasn’t met with universal support. Nick showed that there could be positive aspects as well.”
“Nick’s offer made an impression on other athletes as well,” Bargols continued. “Within a week I had heard from another Make-A-Wish chapter that has a quarterback from a big-time football program trying to emulate Nick. I saw first-hand how Nick’s empathy for these kids matters to them.”
A longtime Texas sports reporter offered broader context on the impact of NIL and Evers, specifically.
“Name image and likeness is something that is long overdue for college athletics,” former KVUE sports reporter and anchor Shawn Clynch said. “It gives an opportunity for all student athletes to really capitalize and generate revenue or in this case with Nick, it creates momentum for nonprofits and I think this is a really good opportunity for him and other student athletes male or female, to partner with nonprofits.
In 2021 the NCAA Name Image and Likeness guidelines were approved, which drew many different reactions.
“Basically what people need to understand is it’s an opportunity to really generate an income based upon who that individual is,” Clynch said. “It’s essentially marketing for a business, a product or in this case, a nonprofit organization and anybody can capitalize on it.”
Evers is not only wanting to donate his earnings but he has played a role in the work that Make-A-Wish does. He has attended multiple events and fundraisers and has immersed himself in all that this organization stands for.
“He came out to our Walk for Wishes fundraiser,” Bargols said. “He threw the ball around with the kids, took pictures, and talked about chasing dreams. Nick grew up around this mission from a young age, because his parents were involved. Nick is also very aware of how blessed he is to be in his position and how many kids long to follow in his footsteps. We say that wishes bring “hope, strength and joy” to kids fighting critical illness.
“Well, so does Nick Evers.”
