The Eccker 10 – Perrion McClinton

In 2018, Perrion McClinton was the starting quarterback at Loyola Academy, a high school football powerhouse in the Chicagoland area. Simultaneously, Indiana Wesleyan was launching the first year of its football program, and NIL was not on the radar of most high school athletes. It certainly wasn’t something McClinton was thinking about. Fast forward four short years, and McClinton has transitioned into a top wide receiver on a now top 10 NAIA football team and is one of many athletes playing below the Division 1 level who have earned NIL deals compensating them for their skillset.

Compensation is something that athletes have been fighting for since long before McClinton made it to high school. That charge, however, has been led by Division 1 athletes from power five institutions, something Indiana Wesleyan certainly is not. McClinton, however, has thrived in this era of NIL, and has proven that any athlete who is educated on NIL can succeed in a complicated industry. Eccker Sports was able to catch up with McClinton and ask him some questions about his journey as an athlete, his experience with NIL, and the best advice he could give to young athletes starting their NIL journeys.

Tyler: What is your greatest memory as an athlete?

Perrion: My greatest memory…I’d probably say I have two. One from high school would be the game against [rival] New Trier. The energy, the environment I was in, our student section, the parents, just all the support around it was really great. I also had a lot of rushing yards that game and had two really good passing touchdowns.

From my college season, my greatest memory would be my first game last year that I played in. As a freshman coming in, you don’t really expect to play right away and I got the opportunity. When I got on the field it was electric. Getting to feel the atmosphere, soak it in, and then just getting out there and playing was the best memory for me. 

Tyler: What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced as an athlete and how were you able to work past it?

Perrion: It would definitely be my collarbone break last season after the first game. I’ve never dealt with a serious injury and I’ve always played through small injuries. Having that setback and having to refocus…It really humbled me in a way and taught me a lot of lessons while I was out. It helped me open my heart to God more. At the same time, the way that I persevered through that was just working every day. Just figuring out a way to get back on the field as early as possible. How to do things to the best of my ability and get back out there with those guys, that was really my motivator and that really made me go harder. It made me not really think of it as a challenge in the moment. 

Tyler: Do you have any unique or hidden talents?

Perrion: I’d probably say that just recently when I got to college, I started rapping a little bit and making music. That’s kind of been what helps me through my day to day sometimes. Just rapping on a beat will kind of ease my mind and help with what I’m going through. That’s what I’ve thought lately has been my talent.

Tyler: What was your first NIL deal?

Perrion: It was with a workout bands company. It was basically being an ambassador. I pretty much would send out a promo code for anybody that wanted to buy bands or any of their products. I would get a small commission based on how many sales I had already gotten. So that was really the first one.

Tyler: How has NIL impacted your experience as an athlete?

Perrion: It has allowed me to see that there’s a lot of things out there. There’s a lot of businesses out there that want athletes to support them and represent them. And that’s what I’ve been learning: the ins and outs and knowledge of [NIL] and everything.

Tyler: How do you determine which brands you want to partner with?

Perrion: Reading through the lines. This is kind of weird to say but reading through everything that the company is giving you and understanding everything that the company is telling you about [themselves]. Just having an understanding [of NIL] and really talking it over with someone that you trust like your coach or your parents or someone who really supports you and has a really good understanding of these things is important.

Tyler: How do you educate yourself on NIL?

Perrion: Really just reading about it. My brother is always sending me things about NIL, and he’s always just been the one that tells me about everything that goes on with it. And then I have one of my trainers back in Chicago. He’s an owner of my gym and he’s always been there to help, whether it’s with offers or just getting to college. During this process, he’s been the one that has educated me…telling me what’s good and what’s bad in an NIL deal. Also, just working by myself to learn. That’s really been the process.

Tyler: How has education played a role in your NIL experience

Perrion: Really just helping me watch out for the companies that you partner with because you’re not just representing them, you’re representing yourself too.

Tyler: If you could change one thing about NIL and how it’s worked so far, what would it be?

Perrion: Me personally, I play at the NAIA level. Just more people understanding that you don’t really need a big name to represent someone or represent a big time company or anything like that. I’ve learned that there are great dudes out there that are gonna give you 110% no matter what. They’re going to give their full commitment to the company to represent them and do all these things. That’s what I’d change so far. 

Tyler: What piece of advice would you give to high school athletes as they start their NIL journeys?

Perrion: I would say just really communicate with people. Really find your group and support system. Make sure that before you’re signing any deals, before you go through any process with a company, make sure you have those people around you so they have an understanding and can help you. Also, for you to just really read the fine print. There’s a lot of small things in small letters that you’ll never see if you don’t really read it through.