Penn State has entered into an agreement with Fanatics Collectibles and Topps to produce official trading cards for current student-athletes and former players, along with over 100 other universities nationwide.

More specifically, the sports trading card brand secured exclusive rights to Penn State and more than 35 other major programs, combining university trademarks with male and female name, image, and likeness rights from current and former players. Topps has also secured individual NIL trading card rights with almost 200 student-athletes throughout college football and basketball to put money in the pockets of college athletes.

The agreement will take effect between 2023 and 2025, but Topps may begin manufacturing and distributing trading cards showcasing Penn State student-athletes as early as the end of this year.

“Fanatics has been closely monitoring the ever-evolving NIL landscape, and we felt this was the perfect time to launch multiple, strategic college trading card programs that will allow schools and current student-athletes to create new levels of direct engagement with fans across hundreds of the top programs nationwide,” Derek Eiler, Executive Vice President of Fanatics College, said in a release.

Earlier this year, Penn State dipped its toes into the NIL landscape by partnering with Fanatics and OneTeam to sell player jerseys. The agreement comes not even 24 hours after Penn State football head coach James Franklin finished his media availability with a passionate conversation about NIL deals, stating that Penn State needs as much money as other schools for roster management if it wants to compete with its peers.

“If School X has a number [for roster management], and we’re supposed to be competing with School X, why would our number be different,” he rhetorically asked the media.