UCF's Kingdom NIL collective to hold 'day in the life' camp with John Rhys Plumlee
There are not many two-sport athletes in college athletics these days. The number is even smaller when talking about those competing at the high-Division I level. John Rhys Plumlee is one, though.
The UCF starting quarterback and center fielder had a busy spring, participating in spring football practices while starting 58 baseball games for the Knights. He had his own doubleheader of sorts back in April when he played the first seven innings at center field before running over to the UCF spring game.
He finished the baseball game against Memphis 2-for-3 with 2 RBIs. Plumlee completed 10 of 17 passes for 236 yards with two touchdowns in the spring game, too.
UCF’s creative team caught it all on film. The video has since gone viral, only building the myth around Plumlee. Next month, kids will be able to relive the day. The UCF-focused NIL collective Kingdom NIL has partnered with Plumlee to host an “A Day in the Life” camp, where youth can be coached up in baseball and football.
It’s a unique NIL initiative, allowing Plumlee to capitalize on his two-sport career. Scheduled for July 22, kids from first to eighth grade are welcome to sign up. Kingdom NIL ambassadors can sign up for $100, with non-Kingdom members at $130.
“We came up with it,” Kingdom’s executive director SJ Tuohy told On3 earlier this week in a phone call. “John has a ton going on, so trying to make it easy for him. We don’t necessarily want to get involved in the camps with all the players. It’s something they can do on their own.
“For your starting quarterback, we can take care of a lot of his teammates working the camp and partner with some of our corporate sponsors to help with camp. It made sense to do.”
Summer camps have traditionally been a staple for college programs across the country. For starters, it’s a moneymaker to put some extra cash in support staff’s pockets. It’s also a way to connect with the fanbase in the offseason and build goodwill.
With the dawn of the NIL era, UCF head coach Gus Malzahn opted to cancel youth camps last summer so athletes could earn the profits. Tuohy, who was previously the chief of staff for the football program, said athletes weren’t ready to jump at it right away.
That’s changed this summer. Plumlee’s camp will bring football and baseball players into the fold, allowing his teammates to profit from the event.
“We want to make sure we have one really, really good youth camp this summer,” Tuohy said. “Obviously John is unique because he brings the baseball component to it. Some of our bigger boosters had toyed around with the idea of a fantasy camp, but this is a camp I think kids will love. A lot of them have seen the story through social media. It’s gone so viral some of them are doing the one-eyed patch. We’re excited to do it.”
The quarterback and center fielder has built up a strong following off the field. He has nearly 150,000 social media followers and a $107,000 On3 NIL Valuation. The former Ole Miss transfer led UCF to a 9-5 record in his first year as the starter. He led the Knights in rushing, racking up 861 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.
With the jump to the Big 12, expectations are still high. Plumlee is one of the top returning quarterbacks in college football with his dual-threat capabilities. He’ll be a camp counselor at this weekend’s Manning Passing Academy.
He has made life easy for Tuohy and Kingdom NIL, too. Signing current roster members has become crucial for collectives and programs when retaining talent during the transfer portal. Plumlee recognized that this offseason, turning down cash from the collective for it to be distributed to his teammates.
“He’s a better kid than he is a player. It’s hard to meet the expectations he has on the field and I swear he meets them every time,” Tuohy said. “When I started with The Kingdom back in April, we met all the kids. Met with them all before the end of school to talk about NIL and deals, that kind of stuff. We re-upped a lot of them.
“Plumlee came and said he knew what we were talking about and said, ‘I’m good. Take the money you’re going to pay me and told us to use it on offensive linemen and a receiver.’ He wants to win in the Big 12. And he said, ‘I’ll be fine.’ As a collective, quarterback should be the highest-paid guy. So from our perspective, for our quarterback to tell us to put that money elsewhere, that put us in a really flexible position.”