YOUNGSTOWN - Youngstown State University student-athletes are putting pen to paper for name image and likeness deals. Brandon Rush and John Lovelace are among several men’s basketball players that will be getting a paycheck while still in college. 

Rush, who will be a 5th year senior, said signing this deal shows that when you work hard good things happen. 

“All the work we put in last year to be able to get to this point now I feel like it's a privilege because we put the work in for it,” he said. 

He says the availability of NIL deals is a great thing but wants to make sure other athletes are doing it in the right way. 

“If you use your name in a wrong way it can get demolished so using the right way is very important,” Rush said. 

As a sophomore, Lovelace is able to take advantage of NIL deals early - and is getting support from those who couldn’t. 

“People that used to play that I talked to, that aren’t in college any more, that they didn't get the opportunity, just want us to take advantage of it because they didn't get to have it,” Lovelace said. 

Servpro Team Dobson is the largest contributor to the Penguin Collective that these players are getting paid from - with a $200,000 donation this year. 

“There's so much pressure on a student athlete when they come to school,” Jimmy Dobson, Managing partner of Servpro Team Dobson said. “This is just a part of us helping them, allowing them to focus and know that they are supported and know that they are welcome in the community.”

In 2021, the NCAA approved the NIL Policy to allowed student-athletes to be compensated for their name, image or likeness. An executive order was signed that same year by Governor Mike DeWine allowing NIL for college athletes in Ohio. 

Penguin players Jaylen Bates, Brett Thompson, EJ Farmer and Ziggy Reid also signed NIL deals.