Cameron Jurgens is an NFL center. He plays for the currently undefeated Eagles. He plays back up for one of the best centers in the league, who he hopes to replace once Jason Kelce retires. Cameron Jurgens got the opportunity play in the NFL because of his elite play for the Nebraska Cornhusker. He was a third team all big ten selection. His tough play earned him the nickname “beef” Jurgens. He is huge guy at three hundred and two pounds which probably contributes to the earning his nickname. This name gave Cameron an idea.
The nickname is a constant advertisement. He realized this and decided to start his own Beef Jerky business. With the new NIL deal allowing NCAA athletes to make money off their image and likeness, he was able to start making money in college. He started wearing his merchandise to post game conferences and speaking on the business when he could slide it in. He realized the better he played the more attention he got and the more advertising his business got.
Once he left college for the pros, his opportunities only rose. He went to NFL combine and got national attention. He was one of the fastest offensive linemen at the draft and that got everyone to turn their heads. His nickname started to spread to the national media. Cameron took full advantage. He started to offer his jerky for free to the analysts and sports casters. They are the ones looking for a story to talk about. All over national media people were raving about how good his jerky is. Some analysts who did not get any started to ask him on live TV for some jerky.
Cameron Jurgens impressed me. He was able to use his gifts and abilities in one completely different are to make him money in another. He clearly had good situational awareness and maximized what opportunities he has received.
What a story. Talk about an entrepreneur. While he didn’t necessarily find a need, he sure saw an opportunity and took it, which is a lot more than most college kids would do. I’ve heard of athletes representing other companies before, but haven’t heard of them representing their own. That’s very impressive, seeing an opportunity and taking it. Thanks for the article, it was very interesting.
This is such a great post! As a huge Eagles fan, I love this idea and business. I had never heard of it until now, which surprised me. For a college student, this type of business is almost unheard of. I think it would be very hard to start and pull off but Cam seemed to make it work. As he has gained more publicity, I can only see this business growing and I think it is great that he kept it going.
This is a good example of young athletes taking advantage of their platform to become entrepreneurs although they aren’t in the field of business. Having a platform in sports/entertainment allows you to profit off your fame through business ventures. Also, a note about the beef jerky is that Jack Links beef jerky is based in Omaha, Nebraska as well, and Jurgens originates from Nebraska so perhaps he brought a regional idea of food to a wider world in Philadelphia.