Horseheads baseball standout strikes NIL deal with area Subway restaurant

Dom Russ was as good as anyone in the region at setting the table as a leadoff batter while starring for the Horseheads High baseball team.

Russ, 17, is hoping to do the same for future area athletes as he ushers in the era of NIL deals in the Elmira-Corning region. The shortstop is headed to Division I Le Moyne College in Syracuse this fall and Thursday afternoon filmed promos as part of an NIL agreement with the Subway restaurant at Village Plaza in Horseheads.

He has partnered with Matt Hufnagel, the No. 1 Subway franchisee in New York, who owns that Subway and 35 others.

The NIL (name, image and likeness) deal with Hufnagel was facilitated by the Glory2Glory sports agency, which has 11 agents in nine states among those helping student-athletes.

"It means everything," Russ said of his deal. "You see all the Power Five schools, you see all the big prospects that are all over kind of get that and it’s hard to not compare yourself to that. But I’m trying to, especially for this area, give kids that opportunity that no matter where you come from, no matter how good you are, if you work you can really do this no matter what. I’m excited."

Russ, who joined Horseheads classmates in graduating a few hours after Thursday's filming, batted over .400 during the regular season and had an on-base percentage beyond .500 while playing stellar defense to help the Blue Raiders to a third consecutive Section 4 title.

As part of the deal, he is planning a clinic to instruct youth baseball players on a to-be-determined date. Russ will promote Subway through social media and Hufnagel is offering a 10% discount at the Village Plaza location through August to customers who mention "Dom."

CEO of Glory2Glory is Antoine Hyman, a member of the Keuka College Athletics Hall of Fame, where he starred in basketball from 1993 to 1997. While at Keuka his point guard was Horseheads' Chris Truax, whose sons were basketball teammates at Horseheads with Russ. Truax mentioned Russ to Hyman, who followed up with some research before deciding Russ was a strong NIL candidate. Hyman turned to Hufnagel to round out the deal, the financial particulars of which Hyman did not disclose.

While NIL deals have drawn the most attention at major college programs, Hyman said they can be mutually beneficial at other levels.

"We recognize our local athletes have real power," Hyman said. "People support them. They follow them from the very beginning. What’s wonderful is as NIL is evolving, business owners are now willing to deal with these types of athletes because they have a strong support system within the framework of these small towns."

What Hyman called the "social currency" of student-athletes plays into their ability to help businesses through advertising and marketing. Hufnagel said he and wife Cassie are more focused on helping student-athletes than the benefits they might gain from a business perspective.

"Believe it or not, this isn’t about Subway, it’s certainly not about me," Matt Hufnagel said. "It’s about Dom, but it’s about Dom and the impact he can have in a positive way. I just see so many people out there and they don’t have the kind of financial knowledge to change their life in a positive way. When I was approached with that messaging, that’s why I wanted to get involved."

Hufnagel is from Horseheads and added that shared hometown with Russ is a cool aspect of the first NIL agreement for each. Hufnagel comes from a sports background as former general manager of the Elmira Pioneers independent baseball team and Elmira Jackals professional hockey team.

Russ being a "great athlete" with a willingness to participate in the community were positives cited by Hufnagel in deciding to work with Russ.

"For a young man, I like to see he’s looking at things bigger and broader than just himself," Hufnagel said. "When I was 17, 18 years old, I’m not sure I would have been. And I get that energy from him."

Russ, who described Subway as a regular stop after practices and games, said he's thankful to Hufnagel for the opportunity.

"I was surprised, but I know I’ve worked for this and this is something that I’ve always wanted to do," Russ said. "Glory2Glory allowing me to have this opportunity to get my name out there and build my platform, I’m more than blessed. It’s a great experience."

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today