Dexcom Launches Fifth Season of Dexcom U NIL Program for College Athletes With Diabetes
Dexcom, Inc. (NASDAQ: DXCM), a global leader in glucose biosensing, has launched the fifth season of Dexcom U, its Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program created exclusively for college athletes living with diabetes. The 2026-2027 season features the largest and most expansive Dexcom U roster since the program was established, bringing together 27 student-athletes across 13 different sports.
The new class includes 12 first-year participants and 15 returning athletes, reflecting the continued growth of a program designed to provide young athletes with diabetes with visibility, mentorship, peer support and access to tools that can help them manage their condition while pursuing competitive sports.
Dexcom said the expansion comes as new research highlights the challenges young people with Type 1 diabetes continue to face when participating in athletics, while also pointing to the potential benefits of representation, mentorship and diabetes technology. The company’s latest survey found that sports participation among young adults with Type 1 diabetes has increased, while fewer respondents reported quitting sports after receiving a diagnosis.
Through Dexcom U, athletes use Dexcom continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) systems, including Dexcom G7 and Dexcom G7 15 Day, to access real-time glucose information on compatible smartphones or smartwatches.* The technology is intended to help athletes monitor glucose levels while balancing the physical demands of training and competition.
Beyond technology, the program provides athletes with a community of peers who understand the challenges of managing diabetes while competing at the collegiate level. Participants also receive opportunities for mentorship and exclusive events involving professional athletes.
The 2026-2027 program includes mentorship from athletes such as Mason Miller of the San Diego Padres, Mark Andrews of the Baltimore Ravens, Adonai Mitchell of the New York Jets, Josh Gesky of the Green Bay Packers and Jordan Morris of the Seattle Sounders.
Dexcom U Expands to 27 College Athletes
The latest Dexcom U roster includes athletes representing a broad range of collegiate sports, from football, basketball and baseball to hockey, volleyball, tennis, soccer, softball, golf, water polo, track and field, field hockey and lacrosse.
The 12 new members of the 2026-2027 class are:
- Aliya Gricius, Hockey, University of Wisconsin-Superior
- Austin Howard, Football, Vanderbilt University
- Cooper Farrall, Basketball, Bentley University
- Drew Kleinheider, Baseball, Saint Louis University
- Eli Baker, Baseball, Wabash Valley College
- Jenica Lewis, Basketball, University of Notre Dame
- John Neider, Football, West Virginia University
- Katy Foley, Volleyball, California Polytechnic State University
- Kylie Flaherty, Softball, Manhattan University
- Maxim Speed, Soccer, Saint Mary’s College
- Paisley Eason, Golf, Oklahoma Baptist University
- Rachel Thompson, Tennis, Columbia College (S.C.)
The program also welcomes 15 returning athletes:
- Anya Tribune, Soccer, Gardner-Webb University
- Ari Long, Basketball, University of Oregon
- Ben Mirisch, Water Polo, University of Southern California
- Clarke Byram, Track and Field, University of Tennessee, Knoxville
- Isaac Traudt, Basketball, Creighton University
- Jackson Montgomery, Baseball, Coppin State University
- Kya Epps, Track and Field, University of Cincinnati
- Madison Moraja, Track and Field, North Carolina State University
- Miles Byrd, Basketball, Providence College
- Nadia Nemeth, Field Hockey, Northwestern University
- Niamh Pfaff, Lacrosse, Yale University
- Nikola Parichkov, Tennis, Elon University
- Patrick Heneghan, Football, Denison University
- Raegan Lantz, Volleyball, Miami (Ohio) University
- Shelomi Sanders, Basketball, Colorado State University Pueblo
The breadth of the roster illustrates the program’s effort to demonstrate that diabetes does not have to prevent young people from pursuing high-level athletic careers.
Turning a Diabetes Diagnosis Into a New Beginning
For young athletes, receiving a Type 1 diabetes diagnosis can create uncertainty about their ability to continue playing the sports they love. Managing glucose levels around practices, competitions, nutrition and physical exertion can add another layer of complexity to an already demanding student-athlete lifestyle.
Dexcom said many of the athletes participating in Dexcom U experienced similar concerns when they were diagnosed. Their journeys from diagnosis to collegiate competition now provide examples for younger athletes who may be questioning whether diabetes will limit their future.
Austin Howard, a Vanderbilt University football player and first-year Dexcom U participant, described how his diagnosis changed the way he approached training and nutrition.
“Football has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember, so when I was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes when I was 15, it forced me to reimagine how I train and fuel my body. With the support of my coaches, I was able to come back stronger than ever,” Howard said.
He added that joining Dexcom U provides an opportunity to connect with other student-athletes who understand the challenges associated with managing diabetes while competing.
“I’m excited to join Dexcom U and be part of a community that understands the challenges of being a student athlete with diabetes and are determined not to let it stop us,” Howard said.
Stories such as Howard’s are central to the program’s broader objective of increasing visibility for athletes with diabetes and showing newly diagnosed young people that an athletic career remains possible.
Dexcom U Combines Mentorship With Technology
Dexcom U is structured around more than an NIL partnership. The program combines athlete representation with mentorship, peer connection and access to glucose monitoring technology.
Participating athletes rely on Dexcom CGM systems, including Dexcom G7 and Dexcom G7 15 Day, to receive real-time glucose data through compatible smartphones or smartwatches.* For athletes, having access to glucose information can be an important component of managing diabetes alongside intense physical activity.
The technology component is complemented by opportunities for athletes to learn from professional sports figures who have experience competing at elite levels.
Mentorship is particularly relevant given the challenges highlighted in Dexcom’s latest research. The company found that many young adults with Type 1 diabetes believe greater awareness of athletes living with the condition could benefit people who are newly diagnosed.
The research also found that people with diabetes who have a mentor generally report positive experiences, reinforcing the potential value of personal connections and peer support.
Dexcom U Days Create Connections With Younger Athletes
As part of the fifth Dexcom U season, Dexcom will host “Dexcom U Days” at selected games featuring participating athletes.
The events are designed to connect young athletes with diabetes with collegiate competitors who have navigated similar experiences. Dexcom said the initiative is intended to create the type of personal connection that many collegiate athletes wish they had when they were first diagnosed.
The fall 2026 Dexcom U Day schedule includes several collegiate sporting events:
- October 9: Raegan Lantz, Volleyball, Miami of Ohio vs. Central Michigan University
- October 10: Austin Howard, Football, Vanderbilt University vs. Ole Miss
- October 10: Ben Mirisch, Water Polo, University of Southern California vs. UC San Diego
- October 10: Maxim Speed, Soccer, Saint Mary’s College vs. Pacific University
Through these events, Dexcom aims to bring together athletes at different stages of their sporting journeys and create opportunities for mentorship and encouragement.
The initiative also provides a platform for participating college athletes to share their experiences with younger people who may be adjusting to life with diabetes.
New Research Shows Progress and Remaining Challenges
Dexcom’s fifth Dexcom U season is supported by new research examining how Type 1 diabetes affects sports participation, mental health and daily life.
The 2026 research builds on a survey conducted by Dexcom in 2022. The latest findings show improvements in several areas, including sports participation and feelings of isolation, while highlighting continued barriers related to diabetes management during physical activity.
According to the survey, the percentage of young adults who quit sports after being diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes declined from 24% to 16%. Overall sports participation increased from 81% to 85%.
The research also found a reduction in reported loneliness. The percentage of young adults with diabetes who said they frequently experienced loneliness fell from 28% to 15%. Similarly, the proportion who reported feeling embarrassed because of their Type 1 diabetes declined from 20% to 12%.
These changes suggest that attitudes and experiences surrounding diabetes and sports may be evolving, although significant challenges remain.
Representation and Mentorship Remain Important
The survey found strong support for greater representation of athletes with Type 1 diabetes.
Approximately 77% of young adults surveyed said that greater awareness of athletes with Type 1 diabetes would help people who are newly diagnosed. In addition, 82% said they felt more represented when they saw people with diabetes participating in sports or appearing in media.
Mentorship also emerged as an important factor. Among respondents who had a diabetes mentor, 92% reported a positive experience.
These findings provide context for the Dexcom U program, which places collegiate athletes at the center of a broader effort to provide visible examples of people successfully balancing diabetes with competitive sports.
By giving athletes a platform to share their experiences, Dexcom U seeks to challenge assumptions about what people with diabetes can accomplish.
Diabetes Management Still Creates Barriers to Sports
Despite improvements in sports participation, diabetes management remains a significant concern for athletes.
Among survey respondents who stopped participating in sports, 62% said they were concerned about low glucose levels, while 54% said managing diabetes during physical activity was too complicated. The latter figure increased from 42% in the earlier research.
These findings illustrate why athletes may require tools, education and support tailored to the realities of physical activity.
Managing glucose during exercise can involve changes in nutrition, insulin management, training intensity and other factors. For student-athletes balancing academics, team commitments and competition schedules, the additional demands associated with diabetes can be particularly challenging.
Dexcom said CGM technology can play a role in addressing some of these challenges by providing athletes with continuous glucose information.
Early CGM Use Linked to Greater Confidence
The research also identified an association between earlier adoption of CGM technology and several measures of diabetes management and confidence.
Among people surveyed, those who began using a CGM within one year of their diabetes diagnosis reported lower rates of difficulties with glucose control, fear of low glucose levels and mental burden compared with those who adopted CGM technology later.
Specifically, 11% of early CGM users reported difficulties with glucose control compared with 28% among later adopters. Fear of low glucose levels was reported by 22% of early users compared with 54% of later adopters, while mental burden was reported by 18% versus 34%, respectively.
Dexcom said these findings highlight the potential role of diabetes technology alongside mentorship and representation in helping people navigate life with Type 1 diabetes.
Building a More Supportive Future for Athletes With Diabetes
The fifth season of Dexcom U represents an expansion of a program focused on changing perceptions of what is possible for athletes living with diabetes.
With 27 college athletes across 13 sports, the 2026-2027 roster provides a diverse group of role models who can demonstrate how diabetes management can coexist with high-level athletic competition.
The program also creates opportunities for younger athletes to see people with diabetes competing in sports and hear directly from individuals who have faced similar challenges.
Dexcom’s latest research suggests that representation, mentorship and technology can all contribute to greater confidence, while also showing that concerns around glucose management and physical activity remain significant.
By combining CGM technology with an athlete-focused community and mentorship opportunities, Dexcom U aims to address both the practical and emotional challenges associated with competing with diabetes.
The company said the initiative ultimately reflects a broader message for young people receiving a diabetes diagnosis: a diagnosis does not have to define or limit their ambitions.
More information about the Dexcom U program is available through Dexcom’s official website.
Survey methodology: Dexcom conducted the online survey from July 8-14, 2026, among 1,004 U.S. adults living with Type 1 diabetes or parents of children younger than 18 with Type 1 diabetes. Participants included both CGM users and non-users and were recruited through the dQ&A U.S. Patient Panel, with the sample designed to reflect the age distribution of the U.S. Type 1 diabetes population.
About Dexcom
Dexcom empowers people to take control of health through innovative biosensing technology. Founded in 1999, Dexcom has pioneered and set the standard in glucose biosensing for more than 25 years. Its technology has transformed how people manage diabetes and track their glucose, helping them feel more in control and live more confidently.