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As is customary for industry-leading lifestyle brand Beats by Dr. Dre, the team behind your favorite pair of headphones recruited a seriously star-studded cast for this year’s Beats Elite.
The latest class of college stars includes Alabama’s Ryan Williams, Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, Michigan’s Bryce Underwood, Georgia’s Nate Frazier, Texas’ Colin Simmons, Oregon’s Dante Moore, Florida’s DJ Lagway, Oklahoma’s John Mateer and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers.
Always open to make waves, Beats announced the new class via @LeagueFits with a series of fit pics that featured each athlete rocking school-licensed product.
Beyond the unique school-themed headphones, there was plenty of variety among the nine players in their looks and art direction.
“One of the most exciting parts of this campaign was watching how each athlete personalized their looks,” Beats CMO Chris Thorne said. “Giving them the space to fully express themselves allowed them to show up as their best, inside and out."
That variety is easy to see. In the photoshoot, Williams is wearing a tailored suit jacket, Downs is seen rocking a crochet knit button-down that matches his headphones, Moore keeps it casual, posting up in a barbershop chair while Frazier went with an all-red seamless that gave a consistent background to his all-red look.
“We prioritize building genuine relations with athletes … Players get to play an active role in shaping their legacy while growing as professionals in the process,” he added.
Four players from last year’s class were top-10 picks in the 2025 NFL Draft, but Thorne noted that selecting each year’s class goes far beyond browsing stats and preseason awards predictions.
"Beats has always been proactive in identifying the next generation of trailblazing talent—not just for their stats, but for the character they exemplify,” he said. “That alignment makes storytelling that much more authentic, impactful and fun.”
Case in point: last year’s class included Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart, Michigan’s Will Johnson, Georgia’s Malaki Starks and Carson Beck, Texas’ Johntay Cook II, Tennessee’s Nico Iamaleava, Florida State’s DJ Uiagalelei and Ohio State’s Caleb Downs, who is also a member of this year’s class.
Big players, of course, draw big spotlights and that was on full display in the comments section of the announcement, which featured dozens of college football fanatics inquiring about the uniquely licensed product.
Schools like Alabama, Ohio State, etc. have plenty of history, and don’t just give logo usage to anyone.
Thorne called the series a “testament to how intentional we are about our collaborations.”
Professional sports leagues across the world have taken major strides pushing their fashion-forward players into stardom and Beats wants to be that same catalyst for athletes in the college football space.
“We don’t typically see a huge fashion focus in college football,” Thorne said. “Self-expression is a core value for Beats, and style has been integrated throughout the brand’s history as we’ve evolved—from our products to how we market them. It’s a natural progression for us to showcase fashion, as the way players show up to the stadium has become almost as exciting as how they perform.”
