Dalen Terry Has The Edge At Arizona

Dalen Terry has always loved shoes.
 
He always has and he says he always will. There's just something about having the latest Air Jordan's that appeals to him. He would try to switch it up and wear a different pair of shoes to school.
 
But he is quick to point out that his family didn't just give him the shoes, he had to earn them. His parents required him to do chores around the house to earn money. If he wanted a pair of shoes, he had to save that money before he could get them. So he would ask to help out anyone in his family that be willing to help him save money for his next pair of shoes.
 
And because he was so passionate about his shoes, they were also used to get him back in line if he acted out at school.
 
"There was a point in time in junior high," Terry recalls, "when I was acting up at school and my mom said that I had to pick one pair to wear for the next month, and it couldn't be my favorite pair. At that age, my shoes were very important to me so that was a big-time punishment for me. It's safe to say I learned my lesson from that."
 
Fast forward to 2021.
 

As Terry prepares for his second season in Tucson, he is using his passion for fashion – along with his nearly 100,000 followers on Instagram (@dalenn) – to take advantage of the recent change in NCAA rules that allow student-athletes to profit off of their name, image or likeness. While the rule just went into effect on July 1, 2021, Terry has already signed a couple deals.
 
Using his large social media following along with his engaging personality, he signed a promotional deal with Lo-Lo's Chicken and Waffles in Phoenix that included shooting a commercial spot for the restaurant. Going back to his fashion roots, he did a photo shoot with the clothing brand BYLT Basics and he is set to launch his own clothing line called "Publicly Private" around the First Watch Red-Blue game on Oct. 2.
 
Enter the Arizona EDGE program, an NIL program designed by the University of Arizona Department of Intercollegiate athletics to help guide UA student-athletes through awareness and education about Name, Image and Likeness. The university uses resources already in place on campus, like the nationally recognized Eller College of Management, the prestigious Rodgers College of Law, and the FORGE program for entrepreneurs as well as third-party partners like INFLCR and Altius Sports Partners.
 
"Arizona has helped me through this NIL process a lot," Terry said. "Everyone is willing to listen to my ideas and make sure that I'm doing it the right way and following all the rules in place, so I don't jeopardize my eligibility. It's reassuring know that they are there to help support us in this new NIL era."
 
Arizona is also one of the few schools in the country that has developed a way to connect student-athletes and the business community, and that is through the Arizona EDGE Marketplace. The Marketplace is where businesses can reach out to Arizona Athletics for more information on what is permissible as well as how to get in contact with student-athletes that might be a match for their organization.
 
"If I was at another school," Terry said, "I might still have a large following on social media but I wouldn't have the NIL opportunities I have here because I'm an Arizona kid. I have talked with people I know at other schools who have more followers than me and they say they don't have as many opportunities. I tell them that's because they didn't go to Arizona."
 
For more information about the Arizona Edge Marketplace, visit ArizonaWildcats.com/EDGE.