On March 21, less than 24 days after Grambling State beat Montana State in time for its first March Madness win, star watch Jimel Cofer Jr. posted on social media about his new NIL cope with Buffalo Wild Wings.
Cofer is one of a handful of men’s and women’s basketball players who will mate with the rapid casual cafe during the NCAA games, many of them capitalizing on what might be a pretty short- lived light.
Buffalo Wild Wings has made a habit of fast- turn NIL deals, which usually come up in a matter of hours and often benefit players who were comparatively unknown before the tournament. Cofer’s Tigers, as an example, were blown out by Purdue less than 48 hours after beating Montana State.

Before Buffalo Wild Wings will mobilize the offer, however, it needs one specific thing: overtime. The company has made overtime a critical piece of its college sports advertising and is connected to the company’s Overtime Wingtime promotion, which gives fans six free wings if a tournament game goes into overtime.
According to chief marketing officer Tristan Meline, in addition to Cofer, the company signed Kansas women’s guard Zakiyah Franklin to an NIL deal four hours after the No. 8 Jayhawks defeated No. 9 Michigan in overtime, and No. 9 Northwestern guard Brooks Barnhizer six hours after his Wildcats defeated No. 8 Florida Atlantic in overtime.
Turbo Tax is another company taking a similar approach to Buffalo Wild Wings in getting NIL deals out shortly after games. The tax software company signed Oakland star Jack Gohlke to an NIL deal after Oakland defeated Kentucky.
Buffalo Wild Wings ‘ deals lasts for the duration of the NCAA tournament and are offered to men’s and women’s players in March Madness who make a big play during overtime, or send a game to overtime.
The players are offered financial compensation, apparel and, of course, wings. The company did not provide any financial details or specifics on how exactly they reach the players after the game. Buffalo Wild Wings monitors games and works with the local franchise in the area to send wings to the team hotels after games. Players must make a post on X and Instagram about the Overtime Wingtime promotion to fulfill the NIL requirement.
Buffalo Wild Wings, which has 1, 288 locations, is owned by Inspire Brands. Roark Capital, a private equity firm, is considering taking Inspire Brands public in late 2024 or in 2025 at what could be a$ 20 billion valuation, according to Bloomberg. Roark Capital created Inspire in 2018, its other brands include Baskin- Robbins, Dunkin’ and Arby’s.
With Assistance from Eben Novy- Williams
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