The Stride Report has confirmed that Stanford ace Ky Robinson has signed a "Name, Image and Likeness" (NIL) deal with On, a Swiss athletic and performance sportswear brand. Robinson now joins fellow NCAA athletes such as Juliette Whittaker and Olivia Markezich who have also signed NIL deals with On earlier this summer.
Former Tennessee star Dylan Jacobs also decided to go pro earlier this year with On.
Robinson holds a stacked resume with numerous All-American honors, two national titles and a plethora of elite times. The Stanford ace has run times of 3:55 (mile), 7:42 (3k), 13:11 (5k), 27:44 (10k) and 8:32 (steeple).
Robinson's decision to delay an official pro contract (and instead take an NIL deal) was a move that the Aussie distance star was expected to make. The 2023 double national title winner in the men's outdoor 5k and 10k told The Stride Report earlier this summer that he was expecting to come back to the NCAA for another year of competition.
The freshly-inked NIL deal likely signals that Robinson will remain in the NCAA, at least for the next year. That's a big win for the Stanford men who just lost fellow standout star Charles Hicks who decided to go pro earlier this summer.
But by retaining Robinson the Cardinal should still be viewed as favorites for the podium at the 2023 NCAA XC Championships -- and possibly fringe national title contenders.
It should be noted that on Sunday, Northern Arizona's Drew Bosley announced that he has signed an NIL deal with Adidas.