Florida State NIL collective The Battle's End hires Max Moody as COO

The Florida State-driven NIL collective The Battle’s End is expanding its front office, further proof of the evolution of NIL collectives.

A Florida State graduate and senior consultant at Deloitte, Max Moody has been hired as the collective’s chief operation officer, TBE’s Ingram Smith told On3. Moody will report directly to Smith in the role, with his daily duties focused on the collective’s financial sustainability and growth strategy.

Since the NIL Era began in the summer of 2021, collectives have surfaced across the NCAA landscape with more than 200 now in existence. At the FBS level specifically, donor-driven organizations are essential in retaining and attracting top talent.

“We are thrilled to welcome Max Moody to our executive team,” Smith said in a statement to On3. “His expertise in operations and his ability to drive results make him an ideal fit for TBE. Max is from Tallahassee and shares the same love and passion that everyone else on this team has for this university and athletic program. There is no one I would rather have in this position than Max.”

Arguably no other collective operated at a higher level in the last six months. Since launching in December, the NIL entity has signed more than 60 football players including Trey Benson and Jordan Travis.

Sources have indicated to On3 that TBE’s attractive NIL program played a key role in landing Keon Coleman and Jaheim Bell to Tallahassee through the portal. The transfers each played key roles in Sunday night’s win over LSU, with Coleman finishing with nine catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns. The Seminoles debuted at No. 4 in the AP poll Tuesday afternoon, the first time they’re in the top five since the beginning of the 2017 season.

Ensuring TBE continues to operate at a high-functioning level will be a key aspect of Moody’s job. He spent time consulting at Deloitte in mergers, acquisitions and restructuring. Before working for the firm, he was the director of government relations for Pernod Ricard. He has experience on Capitol Hill, too.

“It was a tough decision to leave one of the world’s top consulting firms for a relatively new organization in a new and evolving industry,” Moody told On3 in a statement. “However, I’ve loved FSU my whole life, and I know the passion that exists for this university in Ingram Smith and the entirety of the TBE team. I’ve always said if I ever had a chance to have a meaningful impact on FSU athletics I would jump at the opportunity. Our charge now is to figure out how to maximize the value of our athletes NIL. To do that we need to do two things.

“Internally, we have to build a fundamentally sound business with a focus on sustainability. Externally, we need to change how college athletes are marketed to their own fan base to help set them up to provide value for larger brands.”

The Battle’s End continuing to grow

The Battle’s End has been innovative in motivating boosters. The collective sent Travis and Benson to the Super Bowl in February, flying on a donor’s private plane to Arizona for the game. And in March, a trio of linemen attended the John R. Lewis Legacy Gala in Atlanta.

One of the top 10 NIL collectives in the nation in On3’s rankings released in June, other NIL stakeholders and competitors are impressed with TBE.

“Florida State has been aggressive, they’ve come on really strong,” a source in the industry recently said. 

Added another: “They’re very sharp.”

A founding member of The Collective Association, TBE is working with closely with its peers to support athletes. The TCA also met with the SEC and NCAA in July to discuss a revenue-sharing model for college athletes that does not require them to become university employees in the coming weeks. The organization has grown to 17 members.

Battle’s End is technically competing in the NIL market with the Rising Spear collective. Both organizations have received endorsements from the Florida State athletic department. Sources told On3 the collectives have had ongoing conversations about a possible merger.