Georgia Tech standout joins UGA QB Carson Beck on Georgia-based company’s NIL roster

Georgia Tech center fielder Drew Burress (8) connects for a solo home run in the third inning against UNC Wilmington at Foley Field during the NCAA Tournament Regional at Foley Field on Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Athens. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Credit: Miguel Martinez

Georgia Tech center fielder Drew Burress (8) connects for a solo home run in the third inning against UNC Wilmington at Foley Field during the NCAA Tournament Regional at Foley Field on Sunday, June 2, 2024, in Athens. (Miguel Martinez/AJC)

Georgia Tech baseball sophomore Drew Burress signed a name, image and likeness deal with Associated Credit Union, according to a news release from ACU.

As part of the collaboration, the 2024 ACC Freshman of the Year will team with the ACU foundation for a special community event to inspire underprivileged students to dream big and reach their potential.

The partnership adds Burress to ACU’s growing roster of NIL athletes which includes Georgia quarterback Carson Beck, Georgia defensive back Malaki Starks and Emory volleyball player Kate LaRocco.

Burress, also named D1 Baseball’s national freshman of the year and a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist following his first season at Tech, led all Division I freshmen in six statistical categories, including home runs, slugging and walks. He paced the Yellow Jackets in average (.381), home runs (25) and RBIs (67), becoming the 12th Jacket to win Tech’s triple crown. His 25 home runs set the Tech freshman record and fell one shy of tying the single-season record (Kevin Parada, 2022).

In addition to his team-leading average, the NCBWA freshman hitter of the year finished with 15 doubles and three triples and drew more walks (58) than strikeouts (37) for a .512 on-base percentage and an OPS of 1.333. He also finished 8-for-10 in stolen bases and set the Tech record for most assists by an outfielder, throwing out 10 baserunners from center field.

Burress also was named Perfect Game third-team All-American, Perfect Game freshman first-team All-American and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and the Dick Howser Trophy.

Before joining Tech, Burris helped Houston County High win two state championships and was ranked the No. 1 outfielder in Georgia by Perfect Game.

“(Burress) embodies power, passion and leadership within his team and we look forward to working together to enhance awareness of ACU and our core values of providing world-class service and supporting our community in extraordinary ways,” ACU’s Chief Executive Officer and President C. Lin Hodges said in a release.