Oakland's Jack Gohlke Became An Overnight Instagram Star After Win Over Kentucky & He's Selling Merch

If you've ever wanted to grow your social media following, playing the hero in a massive upset in the first round of the NCAA Tournament is a great strategy.

Oakland University guard Jack Gohlke saw his Instagram following skyrocket after his No. 14 seed Golden Grizzlies toppled No. 3 seed Kentucky in a 80-76 stunner on Thursday night. Gohlke had 32 points and knocked down 10 threes in the win. 

READ: 'Just Shoot It, Baby!' 14-Seed Oakland Shocks Kentucky On 3-Point Gohlke(s) Galore

Before the game, no one knew who he was — just a regular ol' unverified guy with roughly 500 Instagram followers. On Friday, he woke up with 10,000+ followers and a fancy blue checkmark. As of Friday evening, Gohlke is at 22.3K and still growing.

Notice the NIL email is front and center in the bio. Smart.

You have to strike while the iron is hot, and the 24-year-old is cashing in on his 15 minutes of fame. Also on Friday, Gohlke announced a partnership with Campus Ink and The NIL Store. He’s released exclusive apparel to celebrate the Grizzlies’ upset win over the Wildcats. The merch includes a T-shirt featuring Gohlke's celebration pose and one with his shot chart in the win. That one is captioned "Jack Goatke."

OK, we might be getting carried away. But you have to admire the hustle.

Gohlke is a sixth-year senior at Oakland, which is located in Rochester, Mich., and won the Horizon League Conference this season. He is a transfer from Division II Hillsdale College in Michigan, where he red-shirted as a freshman in 2018-2019 and played from 2019-2023.

Oakland takes on 11th seed NC State in a second-round match-up Thursday night. Can't wait for the T-shirt drop after that one.