Pitt Football
Pitt QB Kenny Pickett Signs First NIL Deal with Oaklander Hotel

Since he became the starting quarterback at Pitt, Kenny Pickett has taken his offensive linemen out to dinner once a week to show his appreciation. On Thursday, those weekly dinners just got a whole lot nicer.
Pickett, now a redshirt senior in his final year of eligibility, announced Thursday morning that he has signed an endorsement deal with the Oaklander Hotel in Pittsburgh, specifically for their restaurant, Spirits & Tales.
For my first NIL deal, I want to make sure I can take care of the big guys who take care of me. I’m excited to announce my association with the Oaklander Hotel & their restaurant, Spirits & Tales, where I will be treating my linemen to our weekly Hog Dinners! #OaklanderPartner pic.twitter.com/hek0x0ujB3
— Kenny Pickett (@kennypickett10) July 15, 2021
The NCAA’s new NIL policy, which went into effect on July 1, allows all NCAA student athletes to profit off of their name, image and likeness. Prior to the recent policy change, issues with NIL has caused the termination of the NCAA video games series and many awards and wins to be vacated over the years.
Pickett made his first career start as a true freshman back in 2017, leading Pitt to a memorable 24-14 upset victory against No. 2 ranked Miami. He has since gone on to start 36 games with the Panthers and has the third-most total yards in school history with 8,552.
