In October 2022, Dexcom, the global leader in continuous glucose monitoring, launched Dexcom U: the first-ever NIL program exclusively for college athletes with diabetes.
Unlike the other partnerships in this 2025 series, Dexcom U doesn't include a nonprofit component. It's a direct brand + college student-athlete model focused on representation, education, and mentorship. But what makes it noteworthy is:
1) how its infrastructure extends far beyond typical NIL athlete compensation
2) how it gives college athletes a platform to talk about issues that matter to them personally
3) how easily it could integrate nonprofits like BreakThrough T1D or the Children's Diabetes Foundation to amplify impact even further.
And whaddaya know? It just so happens that these are the same three pillars of NILi: NIL for Impact.
The (current) model:
Brand + college athletes = representation, education, mentorship, and community building for the next generation
How it works:
Dexcom originally launched the program in 2022 in partnership with ESPN's Adam Schefter, whose wife Sharri lives with Type 1 diabetes. The inaugural roster included 14 college athletes across 11 sports, and was named a Top 5 NIL Partnership by Ad Age that same year. By 2025, the program had grown significantly, expanding to 21 active athletes representing 12 sports from universities including Oregon, San Diego State, and Northwestern.
Since its inception, Dexcom U has partnered with more than 40 college athletes across 38 schools and 19 sports. But 2025 marked a turning point for the program's mass-market visibility and scale when Dexcom launched their first-ever nationwide Open Call, and received over 200 nominations from across the country. The final 13 athletes selected were welcomed to the team at the inaugural “Dexcom U Signing Day” Camp in Baltimore, hosted by Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews (a Dexcom user himself) — creating a high-profile media moment that positioned the program as a movement, not just a sponsorship.
Beyond student-athlete deals, Dexcom has built a real infrastructure around its programming and support. In June 2024, they launched the first-ever Dexcom U Sports Camp in San Diego, bringing together professional athletes (including Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Adonai Mitchell and Miami Dolphins long snapper Blake Ferguson), Dexcom U college athletes, and kids from ages 11-15 with diabetes for a day of sports, mentorship, and connection.
After the camp, the Dexcom U athletes were paired with youth mentees and stayed in regular contact with them — offering support, sharing diabetes management strategies, and proving that a diabetes diagnosis doesn't have to end athletic dreams.
Why it matters:
Representation can change outcomes. A Dexcom survey found that 43% of adults with Type 1 diabetes felt like quitting sports after their diagnosis — so we can only imagine how much higher this percentage would be for kids who don’t have the developmental capacity or life experience to navigate this kind of adversity. Dexcom realized that simply being aware of professional or top amateur athletes in similar health situations could help more kids stay in sports after being diagnosed, and set out to create a program to provide those critical connections — while subtly, and brilliantly, making Dexcom the top-of-mind choice for managing the condition.
Zyian Welcher, a cheerleader at Jackson State University and Dexcom U athlete, experienced this himself. "I know first-hand that having role models who know exactly what it's like to live with diabetes can be a tremendous asset,” he shared, “so it's a great privilege to be part of Dexcom U and hopefully be that role model for someone else."
BONUS! Where this could go next:
Right now, Dexcom U operates without a formal nonprofit partner. But the infrastructure is already there: youth mentorship, ongoing athlete relationships, educational resources, and sports camps. Adding a nonprofit organization like BreakThrough T1D (formerly JDRF) or the Children's Diabetes Foundation to turn traditional NIL into NILi would create pathways to scale this model nationally, fund additional camps, and provide wraparound support for families navigating a new diagnosis.
Even without a nonprofit component, the Dexcom U partnership shows that brand + athlete NIL deals can make a real impact when they're designed around community needs, not just product visibility or sales.
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If you haven’t checked them out our previous posts in this series, keep reading for more insights and inspo from the best sports and social impact partnerships of 2025:
Cash App, The Atlanta Dream, and nonprofit ForgiveCo partner to provide $10M in debt relief to local families
LA Dodgers Foundation, Up2Us Sports, and Americorps collab to train thousands of trauma-informed youth baseball coaches
Indeed, The LeBron James Family Foundation, and UNINTERRUPTED champion skills-first hiring and equitable career opportunities for non-traditional talent
Comcast and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Foundation empower Ezra Frech’s nonprofit, Angel City Sports, to expand adaptive sports access in Southern California