Cashmere Announces College Investing Class of 2025
The Investing Class includes:
LaNorris Sellers: As a quarterback at the University of South Carolina, Sellers is known for his strong arm, athleticism, and leadership potential as he rises within the SEC ranks. A highly touted recruit out of high school, he's part of a new generation of athletes building their profile both on and off the field.
Kevin Jennings: As a quarterback at Southern Methodist University (SMU), Jennings has earned recognition for his leadership, playmaking ability, and commitment to excellence on and off the field. A standout in the American Athletic Conference, he continues to build momentum as a key contributor to SMU's success.
Avery Johnson: As a quarterback at Kansas State University, Johnson has emerged as one of college football's most exciting young talents, recognized for his dual-threat ability and leadership. A former Elite 11 finalist and top-ranked recruit, he's establishing himself as a rising force within the Big 12.
'Part of investing in venture capital is pursuing things that have never been done before. Completing Cashmere's first-ever NIL deal is consistent with that legacy,' said Elia Infascelli, CEO of Cashmere. 'In recent years, athletes have begun using their platforms for influence beyond their sport and at younger ages. We're excited to partner with three talented young men who are pushing the boundaries of what's possible in the emerging NIL space.'
The three quarterbacks will join Cashmere's growing network of influential partners, which includes 2025 NFL MVP Josh Allen, fashion entrepreneur Jenna Lyons, and Buffalo Bills safety Damar Hamlin. They will work with The Cashmere Fund to support awareness of the fund and its portfolio companies, tout the upside potential of the venture capital asset class to their networks, and gain firsthand venture investment experience.
Jordon Rooney, CEO of Jaster Athletes, advised Cashmere on the formation of the partnership.
About The Cashmere Fund
The Cashmere Fund (Ticker: CSHMX), an evergreen interval fund, seeks to provide long-term capital appreciation through an actively managed portfolio of private, early-stage venture capital investments. The Fund's portfolio managers seek to leverage their networks of influence in the sports and entertainment industries to further compound and accelerate growth in the Fund's portfolio companies. Learn more about The Cashmere Fund at www.thecashmerefund.com.
The Fund has paid partnerships with LaNorris Sellers, Kevin Jennings, and Avery Johnson.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
What to know about the Oregon Ducks in 2025
With Dan Lanning paving the way, Oregon is entering an era of NIL-fueled success, taking the program to new heights with strong recruiting and on-field performance. Lanning dove headfirst into the transfer portal and hit the recruiting trail hard to reload for 2024, replacing a slew of departed stars. Now, with more holes to fill from last season's roster, Lanning's banking on another group of newcomers to keep the Ducks flying high. Here's where Oregon stands as the 2025 season creeps closer. 2024 in review Lanning's third year in Eugene was special. The Ducks racked up 12 regular season wins - their best showing since 2010 - snagged a Big Ten title and punched a ticket to the College Football Playoff. They earned the No. 1 overall seed before coming up short in a rematch against Ohio State. Even with a brutal Big Ten slate, Lanning had Oregon looking like a national contender up until the end. Head coach profile Lanning's got a fiery edge, and he's built Oregon into a machine. In three years with the Ducks, he's 35-6, mixing a high-octane offense with a defense that hits like a freight train. His 'stay hungry' mantra has Eugene buzzing with dreams of a title, and he's got the financial backing from megabooster Phil Knight to get there. Before he traveled west, he was calling defenses at Georgia, helping them lock up national championships in 2021 and 2022. Top offensive players Offensive linemen Isaiah World and Emmanuel Pregnon, who transferred in from Nevada and USC, respectively, will anchor the left side of the offensive line and both have All-Big Ten potential. World is viewed as a first-round talent and has three seasons of starting experience, while Pregnon didn't allow a sack while starting all 13 games for the Trojans last season. Top defensive players Edge rusher Matayo Uiagalelei returns for his junior season after recording 38 tackles and a whopping 10.5 sacks in 2024. Standing at 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds, Uiagalelei is a physical freak with first-round draft potential. Additionally, transfer safety Dillon Thieneman arrives from Purdue after back-to-back 100-tackle seasons to start his college career. 247Sports ranked him as the No. 1 safety transfer of the cycle and he's another player with first-round potential. 2025 schedule Aug. 30 vs. Montana State Sept. 6 vs. Oklahoma State Sept. 13 at Northwestern Sept. 20 vs. Oregon State Sept. 27 at Penn State Oct. 11 vs. Indiana Oct. 18 at Rutgers Oct. 25 vs. Wisconsin Nov. 8 at Iowa Nov. 14 (Fri.) vs. Minnesota Nov. 22 vs. USC Nov. 29 at Washington Oregon's September trip to Penn State has game-of-the-year potential, pitting two projected top-five teams against each other in a prime-time White Out. The Ducks haven't played in Beaver Stadium since 1964 (the stadium has changed quite a bit since), and with Penn State's nasty defense going up against the Ducks' explosive offense, it'll make for a highly anticipated rematch of last year's conference title game, which both teams will be trying to return to this season. Follow Nittany Lions Wire on X, Facebook, and Threads This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Scouting the Oregon Ducks ahead of 2025
USA Today
5 hours ago
- USA Today
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava says his transfer was about family, not money
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava spoke about many things, including his transfer from Tennessee, at Big Ten media days on Thursday. Iamaleava has been surrounded by NIL controversy for college football fans. It has been a long journey since he received his big $8 million dollar NIL deal with Tennessee initially. His long path ultimately led to a transfer from the Tennessee Volunteers to the UCLA Bruins in the spring. Many reports were made stating that the transfer was about money, but Iamaleava wanted to set the record straight when asked at media days. "Just false stuff about whether it was a financial thing or not," Iamaleava said to reporters at the Big Ten media days. "My driving factor to come back home was my family and I hope that every Tennessee fan understands that it was really one of the hardest decisions I ever had to make. But I had to do what was best for me and my family and ultimately, I wanted to come back home and be closer to my family." The 6-foot-6-inch signal caller was born in Long Beach, Calif., alongside his brother and fellow Bruin quarterback, Madden Iamaleava. Alongside his younger brother, Iamaleava has two other sibling collegiate athletes in California: Long Beach State volleyball middle blocker Matt Iamaleava and Cypress College volleyball libero Nicaylah Iamaleava. According to UCLA, Nico Iamaleava also has a history of playing volleyball for Long Beach Poly High School and was "ranked by some volleyball analysts as the top high school volleyball prospect in the country," according to
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Nico Iamaleava says transfer to UCLA from Tennessee was about being closer to family, not money
Nico Iamaleava sought to downplay the significance of NIL money in his transfer to UCLA at Big Ten media day Thursday. The former Tennessee QB said he had always wanted to play closer to his home in California and didn't feel comfortable after 'false reports' had emerged at Tennessee this spring. 'Just false reports that made me not feel comfortable in the position that I was in,' Iamaleava said. 'But in the back of my head I always wanted to come back home. And be closer to my mom, closer to my dad. And you know, just have my family, their support at our games. In our Samoan culture we're always together, and I think that's the main thing for me, the driving factor for me to come back home.' In an immediate follow-up about the 'false reports' Iamaleava referenced, he said they weren't about an alleged NIL dispute with the school. 'Just false stuff about whether it was a financial thing or not,' Iamaleava said. 'My driving factor to come back home was my family, and I hope every Tennessee fan understands that. That it was really one of the hardest decisions that I've had to make. But I had to do what was best for me and my family, and ultimately I wanted to come back home and be closer to my family." Iamaleava sat out portions of Tennessee's spring practices amid reports he was looking to redo his name, image and likeness deal with the school. His father disputed the idea Iamaleava was looking for more money, and the QB entered the transfer portal April 12. As Iamaleava entered the portal, Tennessee coach Josh Heupel said after his team's spring game 'there's no one that's bigger than the Power T. And that includes me.' Iamaleava's appearance at media day Thursday led to his first public comments about his transfer to UCLA. The former five-star recruit chose the Bruins after his younger brother de-committed from Arkansas to go to UCLA. Iamaleava's transfer then led to UCLA QB Joey Aguilar's departure for Knoxville. The former Appalachian State QB transferred to UCLA earlier in the offseason with the goal of being the Bruins' starting QB in 2025. Once Iamaleava arrived, Aguilar left for Tennessee as the Vols were suddenly in need of a starting quarterback. In his lone season as Tennessee's starter, Iamaleava was 213-of-334 passing for 2,616 yards and 19 TDs with just five interceptions. Eleven of those 19 TD passes came in Tennessee's four non-conference games. He had eight TD passes and three interceptions over eight SEC games and the College Football Playoff. In UT's loss to Ohio State in the first round of the playoff, he was 14-of-31 for 104 yards.
