16-year-old Blades Brown inks lucrative NIL deal sure to stir up controversy

Blades Brown, the 16-year-old who is the No. 5 Rolex AJGA-ranked player, has partnered with Transcend Capital Advisors on a multi-year NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) deal.

His 2023 season was impressive, but 2024 is already off to a hot start for the youngster.

Brown tied for fifth place at the Jones Cup Invitational down in St. Simons Island, GA at Ocean Forest Golf Club. He was the only player not in college to finish that high.

The 2023 Tennessee Men’s and Junior Player of the Year still has two years of high school left at Brentwood Academy in Nashville.

Last August, he was the youngest co-medalist in U.S. Amateur history in the stroke play portion.

Brown’s 8-under 64 in the second round of that tournament was the lowest of the day, and broke Bobby Jones’ record that he set in 1920 at 18 years old. It was his first U.S. Amateur, and he got there by being co-medalist in the qualifier after going 65-62.

“I am grateful to be a part of a team with such fantastic people and players,” Brown said in a press release. “Joining Team Transcend allows me to perform at my best and to pursue my dreams. Transcend’s empowering support and love for the game will propel me to excel in golf.”

Brown won his third straight Tennessee Division II-AA state title by five shots last October. He tied the record for the two-day event after firing off 64-66 to get to 14-under total. Brentwood Academy won the team portion by 12 shots with Brown’s help.

In November, another 64 helped Brown capture the Elite Invitational in Myrtle Beach, SC.

But the accolades don’t stop there.

The high school sophomore also won the 2023 AJGA Invitational, the Tennessee Junior Amateur, the Huntsville.org Junior Invitational and the Wyndham Invitational.

At the Tennessee Junior Am, he broke another scoring record, finishing at 22-under, 194 over three rounds of play. To cap it all off, he was also the low amateur at the Tennessee State Open.

It’s easy to see why Transcend Capital signed the youngster. Yet, the terms of the deal have not been disclosed.

There are many out there that likely feel signing a 16-year-old to an NIL deal is simply too young. Paying college athletes has already drummed up enough controversy from traditionalists.

What will they think of a high school sophomore getting paid? Granted, this isn’t a first.

Transcend Capital Advisors also have NIL partnerships with 20-year-old University of Virginia golfer Benjamin James and 17-year-old Yana Wilson. She is the No. 1 junior girl player on the Rolex AJGA rankings. Former Tennessee Volunteer Caleb Surratt also had a deal with this company before leaving for LIV Golf.

Savannah Leigh Richardson is a golf staff writer for SB Nation’s Playing Through. For more golf coverage, be sure to follow us @_PlayingThrough on all major social platforms. You can also follow her on Twitter @SportsGirlSL and Instagram @savannah_leigh_sports.