Kansas NIL collective Mass Strategies appoints new President, COO

Mass Strategies, a Kansas-booster-led NIL collective, has appointed a new President and Chief Operating Officer. The collective’s new leader is a familiar name and face to Jayhawk fans.

Dan Beckler joins Mass Strategies’ ownership group and will serve as the collective’s President and Chief Operating Officer. Beckler spent the past three years with Kansas Athletics, most recently serving as Senior Associate Athletics Director of Strategic Communications and External Initiatives. Prior to coming to KU, Beckler worked for more than a decade in the NFL, including nine seasons with the San Francisco 49ers and one with the Tennessee Titans.

In this new role, Mass Strategies director Matt Baty said Beckler will lead the day-to-day business operations of the collective. Beckler will oversee business growth opportunities, cultivate relationships, orchestrate and plan NIL events for KU student-athletes and provide strategic direction for the entirety of the company.

Dan Beckler’s new role

Additionally, Beckler will serve as lead communicator with KU administrators, coaches, student-athletes and third-party affiliates of Kansas Athletics to plan and execute events as well as other opportunities for student-athletes to fulfill NIL deals.

 “The NIL space has been a high-priority and frontline item in college athletics,” Beckler said in a news release. “I’m excited to use my experiences in the NFL and at KU to benefit the student-athletes. Mass Strategies is now poised to utilize the NIL space to better serve KU donors, supporters, business owners and fans who have a passion to assist in this pertinent space.

“Our goal is to provide new and unique NIL opportunities to KU student-athletes that align with their values and enhances their brand.”

A Wichita, Kan., native, Beckler brings a variety of real-life NIL experiences as well as trusted relationships with KU administrators and student-athletes. He will begin his new role with Mass Strategies at the Kansas football game against Tennessee Tech on Sept 2.

“To exceed the standard of excellence a Jayhawk student-athlete deserves, we must surround them with talented individuals that have achieved at the highest levels of their profession,” Baty said. “We are excited to welcome Dan to lead our day-to-day operations. His leadership and experiences will allow me to focus my efforts and passion in a more permanent fundraising role within Mass St. as we strive towards raising significant financial commitments to ensure KU student-athletes are leaders in this space.”

Mass Strategies adding a proven leader

While at KU, Beckler served as the spokesperson and oversaw the external content creation departments. This includes the creative and brand, social media, graphic design, and Rock Chalk Video as well as KUAthletics.com and the communications department.

The primary goal of Beckler’s team was to build the brand of the Kansas Jayhawks and its student-athletes through content creation and storytelling on social channels and online platforms. During the spring of 2022, in partnership with KU’s multimedia rights holder LEARFIELD, Beckler led the creation and launch of THE BLUEPRINT – an original, four-part content series providing fans an authentic, all-access look inside the 2022 Jayhawk football program under the direction of KU coach Lance Leipold.

KU NIL collective continues to evolve

Originally founded in 2021 as 6th Man Strategies and 12th Man Strategies, Baty rebranded the collective as Mass Strategies in July 2022.

Regardless of the name, the collective quickly became one of the most creative in the space with its focus on personal branding, sales, resources, PR, tax strategy, legal and business advising. Mass Strategies also has a partnership with Opendorse.

The partnership also runs in conjunction with Kansas’ on-campus Jayhawks Ascend program, which is a support and guidance arm of KU athletics in the same areas and others as well.

“The strength of the Jayhawk brand is one of the most recognizable marks in the entire world,” Baty said. “For the first time, by partnering with an officially licensed merchandise provider, we can unite the two brands officially and athletes can be compensated for it.”

While they are heavily involved in the management and representation of all things NIL, Mass Strategies also tries to connect fans with athletes with an exchange of unique access to Kansas players for fundraising and donations. The group also helped launch the nonprofit KU collective Reaching Champions Joining Hearts – which goes by the KU moniker RCJH.