VALDOSTA – Valdosta State senior quarterback Ivory Durham is bringing Name, Image and Likeness to Titletown.

Durham officially announced an NIL deal with local restaurant Big Nick’s Friday afternoon.

Established in 2015, Big Nick’s is one of the most recognizable eating establishments in Valdosta – serving as the caterer for events all over the city.

Nick Harden, the owner, has ties to the university. Harden played football at Valdosta State from 1999-2001 and began his career as a radio personality in 2002.

“I think it’s awesome,” Harden said of Durham endorsing his restaurant. “I was a Blazer. I played there eons ago, but to see this all come full circle, man, it’s pretty awesome. For Division II athletes to have that opportunity just like D-I athletes, I think it’s incredible. They deserve it, too. These are some very hardworking student-athletes and I think they deserve to get the same treatment. 

“With the deal, we’re going to definitely partner with Ivory in the community. Big Nick’s is very heavily involved when it comes to community service and serving the people of Valdosta-Lowndes County. You might see a couple of advertisements with our No. 1 ranked quarterback. We’re just excited, man.”

Big Nick’s barbecue and soul food is a mainstay at almost every sporting event in Valdosta, whether it’s in the press box at Bazemore-Hyder Stadium for Valdosta High and Valdosta State football games or at the concession stands at the VSU P.E. Complex during basketball season.

“It’s about me getting in the community with him and he’s just showing me a lot more than just football,” Durham said of his endorsement partnership with the restaurant. “On the business side, you’re going to be seeing my face a lot more at Big Nick’s and you’ll be seeing it on social media and during interviews and just showing off his restaurant as he shows me off.”

When asked if he’ll have any food named after him at Big Nick’s, Durham grinned ear-to-ear and chuckled a bit before answering.

“You’ll see,” Durham said, laughing. “You’ll see. You’ll see.

“For right now, it’s just me. When this drops, it’ll be a blessing. Hopefully, there will be a lot more (players signing NILs) to come at Valdosta State University.”

After educating himself on what NIL is all about, Durham reached out to former Valdosta High School wide receiver Travis Hall who serves as his NIL consultant.

“Getting Ivory the first NIL deal in this area is a big deal for his school and other athletes who compete on the Division II level,” Hall said. “This is a huge benefit to local businesses who had no clue this was even possible, so I believe Ivory is blazing a new trail for the entire area. … I have to give a big shout out to Nick for seeing our vision and helping us get this done!”

Hall is no stranger to helping athletes succeed. A former assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Valwood and current recruiting liaison at Valdosta High School, Hall embraces the role of working with student-athletes to develop their brands on and off the field.

“As an NIL consultant, I help facilitate deals between athletes and companies,” Hall said. “Having a consultant is a great way to help build your brand without actually dominating the athlete’s schedule. My biggest thing is keeping the athlete focused on the task at hand – the game. I tell athletes all the time, just focus on school and ball. With my help, your brand will build itself if you handle that part.”

Durham has also partnered with cryptocurrency company Fan Coins, and has launched his own clothing and apparel brand, G.O.M.S. (God On My Side).

G.O.M.S. holds special meaning to the former Raines High School quarterback out of Jacksonville, Florida.

Durham has posted the acronym on his Instagram story for almost his entire VSU career. Now heading into his senior season with the Blazers, Durham finally shed some light on what G.O.M.S. really means.

“It originally started back in high school – I got hurt, I want to say my junior year,” Durham said. “It was probably the first time I ever got hurt in my career. I was really down for a minute. I went to the doctors and they told me I had a knee injury. They said, basically, I wasn’t going to be able to play for the rest of the season and this was probably like Week 2.

“I really had faith in the Lord and God and I asked him to heal in a way that He wants me to be healed. I want to say it was a miracle because I was back on my feet, to be honest, the next week. My parents wanted me to stay down and just relax, but I had faith in the Lord and I remember it like it was yesterday. My dad went out to run some errands and I hopped out the bed and I said, ‘I’m gonna go out and work out and see how this knee is feeling.'”

Durham continued, “I went out, put my brace on and it was like last week, the doctor said I wouldn’t be able to play the rest of the season. Next thing you know, I’m running and doing the usual stuff that I can do. My dad pulls up and he sees that so he doesn’t stop me. He knows I love the game, so I finish the workout and we had a conversation and he asked me, ‘Do you want to finish the season or do you want to wait it out like the doctor said?’ 

“I said, I believe in what the Lord says and the Lord is telling me I’m able to play, I have the strength to play.’ From then on, I feel like God’s been on my side – even before then, but that’s when I feel like I got closer to the Lord. I started posting that on social media – G.O.M.S., God on my side. I got here and was posting and posting and I said, this would look nice with a 9 on it with a symbol. I added some flames on it with the 9. That’s where I’m at now. I really want this to be worldwide, so I’m going to start from the ground up.”

On June 21, 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered a landmark decision in the NCAA v. Alston antitrust case. The court ruled unanimously that the NCAA was not legally allowed to limit any education-related payments to students.

More than a year later, many high-level college athletes have profited from their name, image and likeness on the Division I level and Durham is now one of the first to do so at the Division II level with one of the top football programs in the country at Valdosta State.

“It’s something that people didn’t know about and once I really got into it and read the details, I said I wanted to be that guy to start something,” Durham said. “I feel like I’m a special person. I want to be that guy to start, even if it’s not for the big money right now. I’m starting a legacy and that’s something that Coach (Tremaine) Jackson wants to build. I wanted to start the NIL at Valdosta State University and I feel like I’ve had a plan and I feel like it’s going to go my way.”

Durham can be reached by e-mail at goms.thebrand@gmail.com or through Name, Image and Likeness consultant Travis Hall at SETAvaldostaGA@yahoo.com.

Shane Thomas is the sports editor at the Valdosta Daily Times.