Of all people, the most bankable football player at the University of Toledo isn't the hotshot quarterback, the star running back, or the go-to receiver. No, it's the punter. Bailey Flint may not play what is traditionally seen as a lead role, but don't tell that to his swooning crush of fans. Armed with degrees in theater and media communications, Flint, a senior now pursuing his master's in liberal studies, has cleverly leveraged his singing, acting, and social media chops - along with the terrible bu t relatable misfortune of having a shortage of shirts to cover his washboard abs - into the largest online following of any Toledo athlete and one of the biggest audiences in college football. Consider: He has 162,700 followers on TikTok, the video-shari ng app popular with teens and young adults, which, for perspective, are more fans than the quarterbacks at Ohio State and Michigan have on their many social media platforms between them.His reach is something else, and it has exploded at seemingly the perfect time. In the free-market new world of college sports, where as of this month students can sign endorsement deals and otherwise cash in on their name, image, and likeness (NIL), Flint is well-positioned to join the party. One consulting servi ce guessed he could earn $30,000 this year. Others suggest he could make even more. There's just one small catch. He can't see a cent of it. Hailing from Melbourne, Australia, Flint is here on an F-1 student visa that prevents him from accepting outside income while in school. - Toledo Blade
(DS#22 P) rSr/2022  P Bailey Flint, Toledo
News Source: Toledo Blade
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