Florida State announces partnership with Rising Spear NIL collective

When the NCAA clarified its interim NIL policy last October, it opened the door for schools, athletic department officials and coaches to officially endorse booster-run collectives. And since that moment schools across the country have wasted little time throwing their support behind the groups that have become college sports’ key driving force in recruiting, roster maintenance and Transfer Portal.

The latest to do so is Florida State.

FSU athletic officials officially endorsed the Seminole-focused Rising Spear collective Tuesday on its social media accounts. The announcement was made possible through a partnership between Learfield and the Seminole Sports Network.

Florida State basketball coaches Brooke Wyckoff and Leonard Hamilton are included in the endorsement filmed and produced by Rising Spear, along with basketball stars Ta’Niya Latson and Matthew Cleveland. In the post, Florida State points out that Rising Spear has dedicated more than 1,100 charitable hours to the Tallahassee community, and it serves the “NIL needs of over 200 FSU student-athletes.” Additionally, the post includes a link to join the Rising Spear collective.

“Your commitment to Rising Spear, to us, and to upholding the call of the fire within each of us makes this possible,” Wyckoff says in the post.

.@RisingSpearNIL is now a proud partner of Seminole Athletics!

Serving the NIL needs of FSU Student-Athletes who have dedicated over 1,100 charitable hours to the Tallahassee community.

Join Today (https://t.co/W1h8ou1tC9) to find out more.

𝐈𝐧𝐯𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐓𝐨 𝐈𝐠𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞 🔥 pic.twitter.com/ylASyZrf5E

— FSU Seminoles (@Seminoles) January 24, 2023

Institutions are not able to provide financial support to a NIL collective, have an athletic department staff member employed by the booster-run organization or provide an incentive to drive funds to a collective.

But athletic departments can help fundraise for collectives, including, for example, an administrator appearing at events. They can also provide donor information and facilitate meetings between the collective and booster.

Florida State announcement big for Rising Spear

Rising Spear was one of the first NIL collectives launched in the country back in December 2021, and it also generated headlines when it became the first known collective to merge with another group when it absorbed Warpath 850 in May 2022.

The announcement is significant for a number of reasons, Rising Spear Chief Operating Officer Will Cowen said.

“Rising Spear will soon become synonymous with the standard of excellence set forth by the entire athletic department and Seminole Boosters – alignment and daily communication have enabled our brand recognition to grow and serve more student-athletes,” Cowen told On3.

“Our organization has amassed over 1,800 donors who have empowered us to execute over 200 NIL deals representative of 10 sports including 100% of the ‘NIL eligible’ men’s and women’s basketball scholarship players.”

Cowen believes the announcement will only further continue Rising Spear’s momentum.

“We have expanded our organization to include two additional staff members and six highly qualified interns with backgrounds in either sports management or finance,” Cowen said. “Working closely with GM Caleb Swann and his team, we will actively seek NIL activation and sponsorship opportunities with all existing corporate partners of our institution.”

The Florida State NIL market is crowded with multiple active collectives. Recently, The Battles End has grabbed headlines with its NIL deals with a number of key returning football players. Yet, Rising Spear is certainly expected to obtain of boost of notoriety and exposure with the official seal of approval from the Florida State athletic department.