Spyre Sports' Volunteer Club facilitates $13.5 million in NIL deals

In the first 20 months of the NCAA’s name, image and likeness era, Tennessee has become a hub of economic potential for college athletes.

While there is not an agreed-upon definition of NIL collectives, Spyre Sports Group has set an example for what an efficient one looks like.

The sports marketing agency founded by Hunter Baddour and James Clawson manages The Volunteer Club, which facilitates NIL deals for a number of prominent Tennessee athletic programs, including football, basketball and baseball.

Last weekend, The Volunteer Club achieved its goal of active members in all 50 states. The club currently has 2,316 subscribers who donate on a monthly basis. Memberships range from $5 per month to $500.

Since July 2021, the collective has worked with more than 200 Tennessee athletes across 11 programs, procuring $13.5 million in NIL deals, Baddour told On3. The eight-figure number comes from endorsement deals Spyre has facilitated along with The Volunteer Club’s athlete partnership program.

“It’s an exciting day for Spyre Sports and the University of Tennessee as we are pleased to announce The Volunteer Club officially has members in all 50 states,” he said.

The Volunteer Club not slowing down

The Volunteer Club and Spyre have ramped up their activity following Tennessee’s win in October over Alabama. The win was a turning point for the Vols, which eventually won the Orange Bowl and finished No. 6 in the final AP poll.

Baddour and Clawson have placed a heavier emphasis on fundraising efforts since the win, trying to continue to help Tennessee sustain success at this level. The same goes for the Vols’ men’s basketball program, which sits in third in the SEC with a 21-6 record. Securing backing from athletic director Danny White and the Tennessee athletic department in October has helped, too.

Like most collectives that work with college football players, The Volunteer Club focused on roster retention in the last 10 weeks. Since Jan. 5, The Volunteer Club has publicly announced NIL agreements with 34 Tennessee football players, which included seven new signings last week.

Along with The Vol Club, Volunteer Legacy has been established, too, as the 501(c)(3) wing of Spyre, which is accepting tax-deductible donations. 

“College football’s a multi-billion dollar business,” Baddour previously told On3. “And just with football, winning matters. And winning is important because it can generate millions of dollars for not just the athletic department but for the entire academic community. In addition, it has a direct impact on the bottom line of businesses all across the state of Tennessee. And it comes down to players. The players win the games. And that’s just the reality.”

College football’s arms race

The NIL arms race has emerged as the biggest theme in college football since the NCAA allowed athletes to begin monetizing their publicity rights back in July 2021.

Donor-led collectives have popped up across the country, competing to raise the most funds to attract high school recruits and retain athletes looking at the transfer portal.

Spyre has been a leader in this space. According to The Athletic, Nico Iamaleava, who has since enrolled at Tennessee, signed an NIL deal last March that could pay him more than $8 million over four years. The quarterback committed to the Vols within two weeks of the agreement being executed.

Similar stories have popped up across the sport. Four-star quarterback Jaden Rashada signed a four-year contract worth $13.85 million in November, The Athletic reported, with the Gator Collective. The NIL collective ultimately terminated the deal in early December.

“Everybody is trying to bend the rules and work in those blurred lines,” a Pac-12 collective operator recently told On3. “We know if we court these kids the right way, they’re going to be happy. They’re going to tell others. And that’s how we – and most collectives – are building themselves up. We’re building a great reputation.”