The Battle's End deals showcase why NIL collectives are important in player retention

While most of the country was focused on the College Football Playoff, The Battle’s End – Florida State’s football-focused NIL collective – rang in the New Year with an impressive round of new deals.

In a marketplace where player retention has become one of the main focuses of collectives, The Battle’s End has done a tremendous job of helping the Seminole coaches keep a lot of top talent in Tallahassee.

Take the latest round of deals for example.

On New Year’s Day, The Battle’s End announced six NIL partnerships with key players on the offense and defensive lines, including first-team All-ACC offensive tackle Darius Washington. Washington has appeared in 47 games with 37 starts over his career at center and left tackle. Others involved in the latest round of deals announced by the collective were: OL Maurice Smith, EDGE Byron Turner Jr., OL Keiondre Jones, OL Robert Scott Jr. and EDGE Patrick Payton.

Warchant’s Ira Schoffel put the announcements into perspective.

“FSU fans have to love these Battle End’s announcements,” he said.

Also, don’t forget that FSU landed coveted transfer quarterback DJ Uiagalelei on New Year’s Day. Plus, The Battle’s End had earlier announced partnerships with key offensive players Lawrance Toafili, Shyheim Brown and Destyn Hill on Dec. 21.

All are key pieces for Florida State’s 2024 campaign.

NIL deals paramount because of transfer portal

The moves in Tallahassee mirror what’s happening with other collectives and schools across the country.

You can make a strong argument that nobody has done player retention and transfer portal recruiting better than The Grove Collective at Ole Miss.

Executive Director Walker Jones and his team have a masterful job of keeping key players “In The Sip,” including All-SEC tight end Caden Prieskorn, receiver Tre Harris and quarterback Jaxson Dart. Plus, you can’t underestimate the impact The Grove Collective had in the Rebel’s transfer portal recruiting success – including landing Texas A&M transfer Walter Nolen, the top-rated player in the portal.

As Jones said on social media after Ole Miss’ Peach Bowl victory: “You can’t be ballin’ without a budget.”

For as much as college football is about pageantry and tailgates, the sport has turned into an arms race since the NIL Era started in 2021.

NIL collectives have surfaced at nearly every Division I school. Plus, the word collective, which has no ulterior meaning, has become synonymous with Name, Image and Likeness.

The race is to stockpile the most cash to distribute to current players so recruits know what they can make once they enroll at the college.  

The same methodology rings true when making sure players do not enter the transfer portal. Ensuring an athlete’s NIL needs are satisfied plays a major role in their future plans.

That’s something Ingram Smith is focused on with Battles End.

“Retention is everything,” Smith told On3’s Pete Nakos. “We can be as competitive as we want to be in this space.”