The Volunteer Club announces NIL deals with seven Tennessee players

When Spyre Sports Group was formed in 2020, it had a vision to provide sports marketing opportunities to athletes.

Now, 20 months into college athletics’ new era, the organization runs one of the top NIL collectives in the nation. Founded by sport agent veterans Hunter Baddour and James Clawson, the duo have the Vols thriving in name, image and likeness. Tennessee officially threw its weight behind Spyre’s collective, The Volunteer Club, back in early November.

The well-organized operation has distributed more than $4.5 million to athletes to date. Since January 5, The Volunteer Club has publicly announced NIL agreements with 34 Tennessee football players, which includes seven new signings this week.

Here is the list of athletes:

• Offensive lineman Addison Nichols
• Safety Doneiko Slaughter
• Tight end Jacob Warren
• Cornerback Christian Charles
• Cornerback Gabriel Jeudy
• Tight end McCallan Castles
• Safety John Slaughter

It’s all part of a move to place an emphasis on roster retention, similar to other collectives across the country. Ensuring an athlete’s NIL needs are satisfied plays a major role in their future plans. Tennessee added nine players through the transfer portal, while losing 13. High school recruiting is on the uptick, too; the Vols finished 12th in the 2023 team rankings. Tennesse’s NIL operation surely played a factor.

“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.”

The Volunteer Club ramping up focus on membership

The Tennessee-aligned NIL collective was aiming for the lofty goal of signing up 10,000 reoccurring members before the NCAA Tournament tips off in March. That number has been lowered down to 5,000 for the time being.

The organization currently has 2,318 members at last check. In a month, the club has added roughly 200 subscriptions. That number has been on a significant uptick since Tennessee’s Orange Bowl win over Clemson and with basketball season ramping up.

The club has five membership levels, ranging from $5 a month to $500. The race in the NIL collective world is to stockpile the most cash to distribute to current players so recruits know what they can make once they enroll at the college.