As a business owner, I'm not sure I would be that interested in having a current college athlete endorsing my product/service. I'm not sure there are that many athletes that would rise to the level of consideration for endorsement. All it would take is one misstep from said athlete and it could cause more harm than good. What happens if the athlete gets kicked off the team for disciplinary or academic issues or gets into legal trouble like Jameis Winston? I'm not sure the reward from the endorsement or perceived increase in business would be worth the risk.
It would appear that the athletes best way to earn extra income would be autographs, camps, possibly private lessons and possibly social media. Does anyone know if, for example, Will Rogers started his own Youtube channel but it was related to music or something other than sports and it became monetized, would that income currently be a violation of NCAA rules?
It's my understanding that cheerleaders aren't governed by the NCAA and have been able to secure endorsement deals for years.