Zags Collective - Gonzaga Bulldogs Collective

Matt Santangelo and Shaniqua Nilles, two former Gonzaga basketball players, launched the Friends of Spike collective in March 2022 to help Bulldogs student-athletes capitalize on their NIL. The collective was eventually rebranded in March 2023 as the Zags Collective. Regardless of the name, collective leaders hopes The Zags Collective becomes the bedrock to providing a long-term and organized NIL program around GU student-athletes. “We create new opportunities for Gonzaga student-athletes to succeed and maximize their personal brand,” the collective’s website says. “The mission of Zags Collective is to inspire and grow our student-athletes as well-rounded people, to support the charities and nonprofits we partner with, and improve the community. We embrace this in a way that is uniquely Gonzaga: driven by values, commitment to service, and a tradition of considering the needs of the community and the world. We are excited to amplify an avenue that supports Gonzaga student athletes’ community engagement and helps them give back in impactful ways by aligning their passions with the needs of local nonprofit organizations.”