Conquest Collective Launches to Support NIL Opportunities for USC Student-Athletes
Another player officially entered the USC collective space on Thursday as Conquest Collective announced its launch.
The group’s mantra is “For the players, by the players” and features more than 30 former USC football players among its athlete advisors.
Conquest Collective began as Victory Formation before pivoting in recent days to avoid confusion with another USC-based collective, House of Victory. Conquest Collective is the brainchild of USC alum Manuel “Mer” Hernandez III, along with fellow founding board members Jeff Mckay, Ryan Miller and Frank Martin.
“My relationship with the rich history and tradition of USC made me want to create something more than the average NIL collective, something befitting of a University with the historical legacy of USC,” Hernandez said in a statement. “What better way to do that than to tap into that very legacy and create something that connects every Trojan student-athlete past, present and future? That is what we have done with the Conquest Collective.”
Not every USC-centric collective has launched in the good graces of the university. But this one took the necessary and sometimes painstaking efforts to make sure it had all the details in place to satisfy the decision-makers at USC as well as the NCAA. No collective can have an official affiliation with USC, but they will want to operate cleanly and always in the best interest of USC.
That’s what led to a partnership with Miller, founder and CEO of Athlete Advantage, an industry-leading NIL marketing company that will provide overall management, operational support, and compliance oversight for the collective. Athlete Advantage works with a number of different collectives throughout the country.
Former Player Involvement
The group is definitely living up to its “For the players, by the players” mantra in how many former players are lending their names and expertise to this collective. Adoree’ Jackson, Amon-Ra St. Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster, Leonard Williams, Marqise Lee, Marcus Martin, Antwaun Woods and Devon Kennard are just a few of the Athlete Ambassadors for the collective.
The group will also utilize the business success and expertise of former players. Hayes Pullard and his company, Enclave and Key, will provide market support. LenDale White will host a collective podcast. Randall Telfer, who is the Digital Marketing Director for Warner Records, will lead digital and social media strategy. And the group will also partner with Hall of GOATS, a gaming company founded by Greig Carlson, Matt Leinart and Caleb Williams.
How to Get Involved
Conquest Collective offers a monthly subscription program. The established levels range from the $25 a month Victory level to the $1,000 per month Conquest level.
There is also a Founders Club membership level that is $25,000 or more per year.
The various memberships and subscription levels offer access to exclusive benefits including events, meet and greets and official merchandise. Companies, brands or donors looking to get involved can also make one-time donations or multi-year gifts. Conquest Collective can be reached at theconquestcollective.com or 213-224-6884.
Head coach Lincoln Riley was asked following the spring game about the various USC-related NIL programs popping up and if multiple entities could cause confusion for Trojan fans looking to donate somewhere. While he said that perhaps there would be an opportunity for multiple entities to merge down the line, right now he likes that there’s “something for everybody” in terms of the focal point of the various collectives.’
“Anybody that wants to be involved with NIL at USC in any way, there’s one for you,” Riley said.
