Florida Victorious signs NIL deals with 64 football players

Just a day after its launch, Florida Victorious made a clear statement.

The new NIL collective focused on Florida athletics signed NIL agreements with 64 football players. The news was announced on Twitter. The organization is taking over for the Gator Collective, which was one of the first NIL entities to pop up in the summer of 2021.

While no specific details were announced and which athletes have agreed to deals, it’s a sign of what’s to come from the collective. The announcement of Florida Victorious was planned out, too. Billy Napier and Scott Stricklin each endorsed the collective in a video released by the Gator athletic department.

Florida Victorious has been established as a for-profit entity. Fast Foundation, which was a nonprofit collective operating in the Gainesville market previously, has been re-branded as the Florida Victorious Foundation.

A full-time staff has also been brought in to run the day-to-day operations of the organization. Nate Barbera has stepped in as CEO. He is an executive at Fourshore Capital.

“Our goal is to build a professional organization that all of Gator Nation can be proud of,” Barbera told On3’s Nick de la Torre. “That’s, at the end of the day, what we’re here for. I’ll be working across both organizations as will our entire team but we’re building an exciting, positive team that will build something special.”

The Gator Collective set the framework for NIL at Florida. But the collective did not sign 64 football players. In the world of college football and name, image and likeness, it’s developed into a race to raise the most money and focus on roster retention. That’s all while doing it at a high-functioning level to attract possible recruits.

Florida Victorious also has an advisory board in place, which includes former quarterback Anthony Richardson, notable booster Hugh Hathcock and ESPN broadcaster Laura Rutledge. The collective has also launched a subscription service for fans, ranging from $15 to $250 a month. Each tier comes with a different set of perks.

“We look for our advisory board members, frankly, for advice, for feedback on the NIL space and their experiences how what we do, and how their experiences can shape what we do,” Barbera said. “We are also looking for them to help us raise awareness about NIL and our organization. At the end of the day, NIL is a really powerful force for good and we want to continue to tell that story and raise the awareness of what NIL done right looks like.”

Collectives have also been the centerpiece of controversy in the first year of NIL, specifically when it comes to inducements and pay-to-play in recruiting and the transfer portal, which opens again on Saturday.

Winning in NIL takes a collective, though. Signing more than half of the Florida football team is a strong starting point for Florida Victorious.