Venmo is back with another class of college athletes. On Sept. 16, the payments app announced nine NIL signings for its "Money Moves" campaign for the 2026-27 school year, according to On3. It's the second straight year Venmo has expanded its roster, and the group says plenty about where brands see value.
Who's in
Seven of the nine athletes are women, across four sports:
- Women's basketball: Sienna Betts (UCLA), Audi Crooks (Oklahoma State), Jazzy Davidson (USC)
- Volleyball: Caroline and Ava Jurevicius (Penn State)
- Gymnastics: Avery Neff (Utah)
- Softball: Kaitlyn Terry (Texas Tech)
- Football: DJ Lagway (Baylor), Marcus Neal Jr. (Penn State)
Betts is back for a second year with the brand. "I use Venmo all the time," she said, per On3. Lagway is in his first season at Baylor after transferring from Florida.
The campaign
The Money Moves program centers on athletes using the app to give back to their communities, teammates, coaches, family members and mentors, per On3. It's a natural fit for a payments brand: the athletes become the face of how people actually use the product.
It's also a smart bet on timing. The class spans sports with seasons spread across the school year, from volleyball in the fall to basketball in the winter and gymnastics and softball in the spring. That gives the brand athletes in the spotlight nearly every month, instead of a campaign that fades once football ends.
Why the lineup matters
A national consumer brand building most of its class around women athletes isn't a charity move. It's a marketing decision. In our view, it's a bet that women athletes in basketball, volleyball, gymnastics and softball can carry a national consumer campaign.
A few things stand out:
- Volleyball keeps rising. Including a pair of Penn State volleyball sisters puts the sport in a mainstream consumer campaign, right as the college season gets going.
- Gymnastics and softball get a seat at the table. Utah's Avery Neff and Texas Tech's Kaitlyn Terry give the class reach into spring sports, too.
- Repeat signings signal results. Venmo bringing back Betts and expanding the class suggests the first year worked well enough to double down.
What it means for fans and athletes
For athletes in sports outside football and men's basketball, deals like this are proof that NIL value isn't only about TV ratings. It's about authenticity and audience. An athlete who shows up for fans consistently, on and off the court, builds the kind of following brands notice.
For fans, it's a reminder that the athletes they follow in volleyball, gymnastics or softball are just as marketable as the stars on Saturday afternoons. Brands are catching on. The fans in those arenas already knew.