Mizzou basketball standout Mark Mitchell has new NIL deal. Spicy queso rings, anyone?
Missouri men’s basketball junior Mark Mitchell has not only made waves on the court by leading the Tigers in points per game with 13.5 this season, but the 6-foot-9 forward is also making noise off the hardwood with the release of his own crunchy onion-ring-shaped snack.
Haystack Sourcing Solutions — a St. Louis-based product development company — announced its NIL partnership with Mitchell on Sunday and revealed that “Mark Mitchell’s Spicy Queso ‘Hoops’” would be available in all Missouri Schnucks and top convenience stores Monday.
“We knew we wanted to do something with Mizzou’s basketball program,” Haystack Sourcing Solutions president and founder Ken Dubinsky said in a news release obtained by the Missourian. “With Mark coming in so highly touted, he was a great choice to be the next Tiger to have his own snack. We appreciate Schnucks being a great partner, as they have been on all the Mizzou products.”
The product is a part of the Snack Fanatics brand, which featured other NIL partnership chips like ex-Duke standout Kyle Filipowski’s “Hot Honey Barbeque Potato Chips” and Providence senior Bryce Hopkins’ “Buffalo Wing & Blue Cheese Potato Chips.”
With the release of the spicy queso rings, Mitchell becomes the first collegiate athlete in the country to have a non-potato chip item in the chip aisle.
“I’m so excited for our fans to try my great-tasting Spicy Queso ‘Hoops,’” said Mitchell in the announcement. “Being able to walk into a store and find myself on a snack is something I never dreamed of! Once Tiger fans try the unique spicy and tangy flavor, they’ll think it’s a slam dunk!”
Mitchell is not the only Mizzou men’s basketball player to have an NIL product line in local Schnucks stores.
Senior guard Tamar Bates is featured on the package of the “Tiger Tracks” flavor of “Brew with the Crew” coffee line that was announced by Every True Tiger Brands on Oct. 18.
Former forward Noah Carter appeared on Every True Tiger Brands’ “Tiger Tracks” ice cream alongside volleyball right-side hitter Jordan Iliff, wrestler Keegan O’Toole and track and field triple jumper Euphenie Andre.
Unlike Bates’ coffee and Carter’s ice cream, Every True Tiger Brands — an NIL marketing agency that is not affiliated with MU — is not directly involved with Mitchell’s spicy queso snack, according to Dubinksy.
Other Mizzou NIL products on the shelves of Schnucks include: “Luther Burden’s Old Vienna Honey BBQ Red Hot Riplets,” “Mizzou Munchy Medley Candy Mix” featuring MU football offensive lineman Cayden Green and tight end Brett Norfleet and the cheese pizza edition of “Pizza with the Mizzou Crew” featuring safety Marvin Burks Jr. and cornerbacks Toriano Pride Jr. and Ja’Marion Wayne.
Copyright 2025 Columbia Missourian
This story was originally published January 13, 2025 at 10:27 AM with the headline "Mizzou basketball standout Mark Mitchell has new NIL deal. Spicy queso rings, anyone?."