​FRISCO — Coy Eakin is a rare breed, one of the few in his generation who can write legibly in cursive. That skill can be traced in large part to his mother, Kelly, a writing teacher at Hook Elementary School in Stephenville. Kelly insisted he practice in cursive, though his handwriting never quite matches the neatness she can produce. As a key member of the Texas Tech football squad, Eakin, along with several teammates, has seen a surge in autograph requests from fans and through NIL partnerships.
In Eakin’s case, he was one of four Red Raiders featured in Topps’ 2025 Bowman U Chrome football line. Alongside Behren Morton, Reggie Virgil, and Caleb Douglas, Eakin’s image appears on base sets and premier cards, some of which carry his autograph either on a sticker or directly on the card. A lifelong trading card enthusiast, Eakin still estimates he owns roughly 10,000 cards from his youth. “Now that I’m on a card and I have my own trading card, that’s kind of a full-circle moment. It’s surreal,” Eakin told the Avalanche-Journal.
Texas Tech’s Coy Eakin celebrates a touchdown with Sheridan Wilson against Kent State in a non-conference game at Jones AT&T Stadium on September 6, 2025. Eakin’s autograph on the new cards is a mixed bag. He clearly spells out his full name, unlike Brice Pollock — who will be featured in a later line from Panini — who signs with initials. To many viewers, the “C” in Coy can resemble a “Z,” making the name difficult to decipher on the sticker. Sheridan Wilson could only confirm Eakin’s signature by the distinctive “3” inscribed at the end. “I can see a little bit of the E here, maybe,” A.J. Holmes Jr. commented when shown the card.
As the NIL era continues to expand the market for college athletes’ autographs, demand remains high for most players. Stars like Wilson and Holmes (the preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year) can be harder to identify on the frontline, especially for those lined up in the trenches of the formation, compared with higher-profile names like Carter or Eakin.
Pollock’s first autograph came when a family member asked him to sign a napkin, and he joked that the family member expected he would become a big-name player someday. “He’s still got the napkin,” Pollock recalled. Wilson’s early autograph experience was memorable for a different reason. During a visit to a Lubbock elementary school, a young fan asked him to sign his shirt. Seeing that the shirt looked relatively new, Wilson asked for his parents’ permission to proceed. They agreed, with the boy’s mother affirming, “Yes, it would be fine.” “I shouldn’t have listened to him,” Wilson later said with a laugh. “I signed the shirt, and somebody sent me a Facebook message from the mom afterward. It said, ‘Whoever signed this shirt, please refer to this post.’” Signing autographs remains one of the thrills of being an athlete and a reminder of the broader impact and reach that these moments can have in the NIL era.