Carterville native and Illinois tight end Luke Ford, a former ESPN Top 100 prospect, was among the college athletes who received a name, image, and likeness agreement with WWE yesterday. Ford is a part of a 15 member group participating in WWE’s “Next in Line” program and will train at the promotion’s performance center in Orlando, Florida and receive resources in areas such as brand building and media communication.
The former Carterville Lion caught 15 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns for the Fighting Illini last season. He is considered one of the headliners in this year’s class of NIL signings for WWE’s Next in Line program.
Last year’s headliner was Olympic gold medalist and NCAA champion in heavyweight wrestling Gable Steveson.
