Top recruit Haven agrees to NIL deal with Matt Bowers Auto Group

Louisiana’s top prep football player has inked a Name, Image and Likeness deal with a New Orleans-based automotive group.

Elijah Haven, a sophomore football and basketball standout at The Dunham School in Baton Rouge, is joining Matt Bowers Automotive Group in a partnership to “amplify his brand and further his connection with fans and local communities” according to a press release.

The Louisiana High School Athletic Association voted to allow student-athletes to benefit financially from NIL in April of 2022. Haven ranks as the nation’s No. 3 prospect in 2027 according to On3.

That type of profile can bring large amounts of attention both from college programs and businesses looking for spokespeople.

Matt Bowers Auto Group is made up of 12 different locations according to its website. Bowers famously funded 12 billboards around New Orleans following the Saints’ controversial NFC Championship Game loss to the Rams. One read, “SAINTS GOT ROBBED”. Another said, “NFL BLEAUX IT”.

Now Bowers has turned to the high school ranks for what the press released termed “the first of its kind for a high school athlete”.