Tennessee athletic director Danny White throws support behind NIL collectives
It was really only a matter of time since the NCAA clarified its interim NIL policy last week.
Tennessee athletic director Danny White dropped a video on Twitter on Thursday afternoon, publicly supporting Spyre Sports and its Volunteer Club. He also endorsed the Lady Vol Boost Her Club, which has focused on women’s basketball and other female sports.
One of the top collectives in the country, Spyre Sports and the Vol Club have been leading the Name, Image and Likeness charge on Rocky Top. White’s endorsement is a major moment and will surely drive an uptick in donations. For all the success on the field, Spyre Sports co-founder Hunter Baddour views it as only a start.
Baddour said NIL success is now needed to win come Transfer Portal season.
“With success comes the reality that we’ve got some really good players on this football team,” Baddour recently told On3. “They’ve put themselves in a position that they’re going to have options in terms of the portal. That’s just the reality that we’re in. And so we have to keep the foot on the gas from a fundraising standpoint. It’s critical that everybody steps up and realizes that we have a great thing going, and that we can keep it going.
“But in the NIL world, it’s going to require a significant amount of cash.”
Tennessee’s NIL collectives crucial to sustained success
NIL collectives have surfaced at nearly every Division I school. And the word collective, which has no ulterior meaning, has become synonymous with Name, Image and Likeness. The race is to stockpile the most cash to distribute to current players so recruits know what they can make once they enroll at the college.
Over the past 16 months, Spyre has established two entities to allow donors and fans to support Tennessee athletes. The Volunteer Club supports Tennessee student-athletes through a monthly membership program. To date, it’s distributed more than $4.5 million to athletes. Volunteer Legacy was recently established, too, as the 501(c)(3) wing of Spyre, which is accepting tax-deductible donations.
Lady Vol Boost Her Club will only be ramping up NIL activity, too. The collective recently partnered with Spyre to help bring AT&T Fiber into the NIL space. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker signed on next to Lady Vol basketball players Tamari Key, Sara Puckett and Jordan Walker. That partnership could just be a glimpse of what the future looks like for Tennessee athletes, especially after the request from Danny White.
For as much as college football is about pageantry and tailgates, the sport has turned into an arms race in the past 16 months.
Tennessee is enjoying its best run on the field since the late 1990s. And this time, they want to sustain it. NIL is going to be a major factor. Receiving the needed attention from Vols fans will be crucial. Thursday was a step in the right direction.