The Battles End continues to sign NIL deals with top returning Florida State players

When The Battles End launched last month, Ingram Smith, the president of the Florida State-focused NIL collective, said player retention would be a major priority for the group.

So far, so good.

Over the past 32 days, The Battles End has announced NIL deals with 25-plus players, including many of the top returning players on the Seminoles’ roster.

When it started operating in early December, the collective announced NIL partnerships with:

• Quarterback Jordan Travis
• Running backs Rodney Hill and Lawrance Toafili
• Receiver Kentron Poitier
• Offensive linemen Maurice Smith, Robert Scott Jr. and Darius Washington
• Defensive linemen Malcolm Ray, Joshua Farmer, Dennis Briggs and Ayobami Tifase
• Defensive backs Jarrian Jones, Renardo Green and Kevin Knowles II.

Since the start of the new year, The Battles End announced 11 additional deals, including All-ACC picks like EDGE Jared Verse, receiver Johnny Wilson and running back Trey Benson. All-ACC honorable mention pick Fabien Lovett was also among the new group of signees for the collective.

It’s another sign collectives have become ultra-aggressive in their pursuit of helping college football programs with player retention in this topsy-turvy NIL and Transfer Portal world.

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

For example, Valiant Management Group, a Michigan-focused collective, launched the “One More Year Fund.” Insiders believe it played a key role in Blake Corum’s decision to return to Ann Arbor. At Nebraska, The 1890 Initiative is announcing new partnerships with top Husker players almost every single day. Plus, Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton recently re-signed with The Volunteer Club, run by Spyre Sports Group.

NIL deals paramount because of Transfer Portal

For as much as college football is about pageantry and tailgates, the sport has turned into an arms race in the past 17 months. 

NIL collectives have surfaced at nearly every Division I school. And 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, and that’s something Smith is focused on with Battles End.

“Retention is everything,” Smith recently told On3’s Pete Nakos. “We have every intention of keeping every player we possibly can for what we think is a special year, next year… I’m not going to tell you that I’m John Ruiz and I have unlimited money. But I will tell you that we can be as competitive as we want to be in this space.”