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Expect to see USC star JuJu Watkins spending a lot more time with Jake from State Farm.
The sophomore guard signed an NIL deal with State Farm, becoming just the second college athlete to get an endorsement deal from the company. Caitlin Clark was the first when she signed while playing at Iowa.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ Patriots Mahomes and Travis Kelce and 12-time NBA All-Star Chris Paul are among the notable pro athletes aligned with the insurance giant.
“It’s an honor to partner with State Farm,” Watkins said, per CNBC’s Jessica Golden. “Not only are they one of the biggest brands in sports, they’ve also been investing in basketball and in the women’s game for decades.”
One of the top recruits in the 2024 class, Watkins made a massive impact as a freshman at USC. She was the nation’s second-leading scorer (27.1 points) behind Clark, setting a program record with a 51-point outing in an upset of Stanford.
With the 6’2″ playmaker at the fore, the Trojans advanced to the Elite Eight of the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994.
USC is off to a 4-1 start in 2024-25 with Watkins leading the team in points (22.0), assists (4.8), steals (3.4) and blocks (2.6) so far.
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