Inside ONIT’s Collegiate Card Strategy

The recent sports card boom has produced plenty of fascinating companies, giving collectors more ways than ever to get closer to their favorite athletes. For some, that means new opportunities to follow stars like new Philadelphia 76er LeBron James, or rookie quarterbacks like Fernando Mendoza. For others, it's a chance to get their hands on a University of Nebraska volleyball player or an Indiana University offensive lineman.

Launched during the 2022-23 academic year, with team-specific card sets launched a year later, ONIT highlights college athletes like never before, providing access to more sports and more players than its heavyweight counterparts in Panini and Topps. But it's not all about the opportunity to buy cardboard of a defensive tackle that'll never make it to the NFL. In the recent 2026 MLB Draft, more than a dozen first rounders already had a rookie card long before Bowman could fire up their printers—all thanks to ONIT.