House of Victory launches as USC NIL market readjusts

Lincoln Riley found success early at USC.

The head coach had the Trojans on the brink of a College Football Playoff berth back in December. Caleb Williams going down in the Pac-12 title game put the chase for a national championship on ice for a year. But what Riley has been able to accomplish in roughly 16 months has USC back in the national conversation.

A strong NIL program could go a long way. USC finished 2023 with a top-10 recruiting class, landing five-star plus recruits Zachariah Branch and Malachi Nelson. They added another 12 players through the winter transfer portal. If the Trojans want to continue on a similar path, an attractive NIL infrastructure is going to need to be established.

USC is hoping Friday’s announcement is a step in the right direction. House of Victory has officially launched as a nonprofit collective to service all Trojan athletes, with a focus on football and basketball. Alumni-led and board-operated, the collective has a flavor of BLVD LLC, which was launched back in August 2022 as the official NIL entity at USC.

The organization shut down for good by February, but Spencer Harris has stuck around and will be the executive director for House of Victory. USC’s former Director of Player Personnel, he’ll run the day-to-day operations of the new NIL collective.

“The standard is championships at USC,” Harris said in a statement. “The alumni behind House of Victory intend to match that same standard with this NIL program. We encourage every passionate Trojan to get involved and support the student-athletes.”

Most notable, House of Victory has secured a sponsorship agreement through USC’s multimedia rights holder Playfly. The collective is able to use the school’s marks and colors, along with have athletes in their jerseys when using for publicity. It’s a similar partnership multiple collectives have started to use across the nation, including Yea Alabama, Bayou Traditions and Florida Victorious.

House of Victory has formed a mutual benefit nonprofit to run its membership program, which will range from $55 to $1,100 month subscription packages with perks. It will also have a House of Victory Foundation, so top-tier donors can make tax-deductible donations.

As of launch, the collective has already signed NIL deals with Williams, Justin Dedich, Calen Bullock, Boogie Ellis, Kobe Johnson, Austin Overn, Simone Jackson, Skylar Fields and Rayah Marshall.

Similar to almost every NIL collective operation at the Power 5 level, the plan is to service the football and basketball programs at first. 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.

Crowded USC NIL market

Since BLVD shuttered, the TOMMY Group has launched with the backing of former USC football players Alex Holmes and Keyshawn Johnson. The group also has support from John Terzian, the co-founder of the h.wood Group, and Mike Hahn, the co-founder and partner of Ten Oaks Group. The h-wood Group owns restaurants, while Ten Oaks is a banking firm.

The list does not stop there, though. Victory Formation plans to launch as an NIL agency in mid-May. Started by Manuel Hernandez, a USC alum and financial advisor, and Jeff McKay, grandson of USC coach John McKay, the collective will operate as a for-profit and service needs beyond NIL, such as tax season and mentorship.

While it’s clear multiple entities want to assist USC athletes and win games on the field and court, it does not send a very clear message to fans. There’s no question the typical Trojan donor isn’t like most across the Power 5. Los Angeles is filled with high-roller boosters worth well into the seven figures. But to have sustainable fundraising, one of the collectives will need to find tap into that base.

With House of Victory launching, consolidation could only be months away in the USC market.

“We’ve got a couple of different groups that have popped up that are supporting and are going to support our guys and our athletes and want to be able to give them opportunities, which is really, really cool,” Riley recently said. “And I think it’s going to be a great thing because I think you’re going to have some of these different organizations that are going to be run by USC people and for USC people. I think a lot of our people are going to be excited about getting behind that and supporting that.”