The Next WWE Superstar? University of Miami’s Tyanna Omazic in WWE’s NIL program ‘Next In Line’
WWE unveiled 15 college athletes (including one from the University of Miami) who will join the company’s NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) program — “Next In Line” — that provides a clear pathway from collegiate athletics to WWE.
The second “Next In Line” class includes athletes from 14 universities, seven NCAA conferences and seven sports, including the program’s first athletes from cheer and dance, gymnastics, volleyball and men’s basketball.
The following 15 athletes will be unveiled at the inaugural NIL Summit at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta:
Name, School, Sport, Height/Weight, Hometown
Ali Mattox, Ole Miss, Cheer & Dance, 5-7, Little Rock, Arkansas.
Case Hatch, Arizona State, Football, 6-1, 230 lbs., Gilbert, Arizona.
Chandler Hayden, Tennessee, Track & Field, 5-11, Pittsfield, Illinois.
Cohlton Schultz, Arizona State, Wrestling, 6-2, 285 lbs., Parker, Colorado.
Derrian Gobourne, Auburn, Gymnastics, 5-4, Sarasota.
Ericka Link, Elon, Volleyball, 5-6, Hedgesville, West Virginia.
Keshaun Moore, Hampton, Football, 6-3, 270 pounds, Suffolk, Virginia.
Luke Ford, Illinois, Football, 6-6, 260 pounds, Carterville, Illinois.
Maliq Carr, Michigan State, Football/Basketball, 6-5, 245 pounds, Inkster, Michigan.
Mikala Hall, Central Michigan, Basketball, 5-5, Danville, Illinois.
Rachel Glenn, South Carolina, Track & Field, 6-0, Long Beach, California.
Ruben Banks, Arkansas, Track & Field, 6-4, 270 lbs., Binfield, England.
Thunder Keck, Stanford, Football, 6-3, 245 lbs., Northfield, New Hampshire.
Tyanna Omazic, Miami, Volleyball, 6-2, Kansas City, Missouri.
Zachary Knighton-Ward, Hofstra, Wrestling, 6-2, 285 lbs., Rosedale, New York.
WWE NIL Program
WWE’s comprehensive NIL program launched in December and serves to recruit and develop potential future superstars, and further enhances WWE’s talent development process through collaborative partnerships with college athletes from diverse athletic backgrounds.
“Next In Line” has signed 31 full-time college athletes since its inception and currently has 25 active athletes following the graduation of six inaugural members from the program.
All athlete partnerships will feature access to the WWE Performance Center in Orlando in addition to resources across the organization including brand building, media training, communications, live event promotion, creative writing and community relations.
Upon completion of the NIL program, select athletes may earn an exclusive opportunity to be offered a WWE contract. All six athletes who graduated from the first class have either signed or are in discussion to join WWE on a full-time basis.
Four of the 16 initial members of WWE’s “Next In Line” program are nominated for awards at the NIL Summit including Olympic gold medalist Gable Steveson (University of Minnesota) for Male Athlete of the Year, Haley and Hanna Cavinder (University of Miami) for Female Athlete of the Year and Jon Seaton (Elon University) for the Hustle Award. Additionally, WWE is a finalist for Brand of the Year.
For more information about the inaugural NIL Summit, June 13-15 at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta, visit nilsummit.com.
Learn more about the “Next In Line” program at wwerecruit.com.
WWE in South Florida
WWE will be in Sunrise, near Fort Lauderdale, on Sunday, July 17, for a house show from the FLA Live Arena, home of the NHL Florida Panthers. The venue is across from Sawgrass Mills Mall.
Tickets for this Sunday Stunner: WWEtickets.
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This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 10:00 AM.
