F45 Parent Signs NIL Deal With College Football Stars as Fitness Brands Embrace Endorsements

FIT House of Brands, the parent company of F45, will feature University of Miami football players in new social media ads. Other fitness operators, including Planet Fitness and Gold’s Gym, have also struck recent college-sports partnerships

F45 Training has become the latest fitness brand to leverage the influential reach of star college athletes, signing name, image, likeness (NIL) partnerships with University of Miami football players Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney.

Mensah and Toney — considered two of the top college football players in the country — recently collaborated to create content with F45’s parent company FIT House of Brands, with videos on social media showing the players going through the signature group fitness workout alongside Mensah’s mom, Naomi, and teammate Inez Lopez. Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed.

“Speed is everything in my game, so putting that to the test and being alongside Darian for this partnership made sense,” Toney said. “F45 Training members and community push one another to be better every day. The same goes for me and my teammates.”

The partnership arrives as gyms and clubs have increasingly tapped into NIL since collegiate athlete partnerships were greenlit in 2021.

During this year’s March Madness NCAA Tournament, UConn women’s basketball star Azzi Fudd had her own gym partnership with industry giant Planet Fitness to promote the operator’s recovery amenities. 

But it wasn’t Planet Fitness’ first entrance into the NIL market, as its franchisee Grand Fitness partnered with VCU basketball player Joe Bamisile in 2024.

Other fitness brands big and small have been making the most of NIL deals as well. In 2023, Gold’s Gym launched a partnership with Opendorse, a leader in NIL brand partnerships, to create an exclusive ambassador program that encouraged collegiate athletes to become a Gold’s Gym brand ambassador.

But even local operators see a key opportunity for NIL deals — starting at the high school level. Newport, Kentucky-based Nevels Fitness Agency, which operates a local gym in the city, signed three star high school athletes in 2024 to support their emerging careers while promoting the brand.