UTSA QB Frank Harris to return, City Fans 210 NIL collective launches

UTSA quarterback Frank Harris announced Wednesday his return for the 2023 college football season at a press conference that also served as the public unveiling of an NIL collective called City Fans 210. It was a scene fitting of college football in 2022 in the era of NIL, players with enough eligibility for a sixth or seventh season, and conference realignment.

At the press conference, Harris stood alongside Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff, Bexar County Judge-Elect Peter Sakai, The PM Group founder and CEO Bob Wills and former state senator John T. Montford.

“This is a very tough time,” Harris said. “I talk a lot of time, I’m praying, I’m talking with my family and I just think it’s best for me to come back one more season at UTSA and lead them to the AAC and I’m excited for it. Definitely appreciate all the support from our fans and I love the city of San Antonio and I wasn’t ready to leave yet. I love all the support, I love everybody in the city and I’m just blessed to be the quarterback at UTSA.

“Thank y’all once again. I’m back for my seventh year. Let’s go!”

Harris redshirted in the 2017 season and he sat out in the 2018 season while recovering from an injury.

On Wednesday, Conference USA awarded its MVP honor to Harris, who was a three-star recruit in the 2017 recruiting class. He has completed 71.1% of his attempts for 3,865 yards and 31 touchdowns this season.

UTSA (11-2) was ranked No. 25 in the final College Football Playoff rankings. The Roadrunners will face No. 24 Troy in the Cure Bowl on Dec. 16.

NIL collective City Fans 210 to launch in 2023

After Harris announced that he’s returning to UTSA for the Roadrunners’ first season in the American Athletic Conference, Wills announced the creation of City Fans 210. He said it’s a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

Wills told reporters the collective will launch in 2023 and that the collective will need to raise $5 million in the first year, according to Inside Runner Sports’ JJ Perez.

Harris could be a primary beneficiary of the new collective in his final season and the collective’s first season in existence. He has an On3 NIL Valuation of $162,000.

The On3 NIL Valuation is a proprietary algorithm that calculates an athlete’s projected annual value in the NIL landscape. It factors in an athlete’s performance, influence and exposure.

The On3 NIL Valuation accounts for an athlete’s roster value and brand value. Roster value is the value an athlete has by being a member of his or her team at his or her school, which factors in the role of NIL collectives. Brand value factors in an athlete’s personal brand and the value it could bring to regional and national brands outside of the scope of NIL collectives.

You can learn more about the On3 NIL Valuation here.

City Fans 210 will be the second collective designed to support UTSA athletes. Runners Rising launched in February. Its stated goal is “helping University of Texas at San Antonio student-athletes become champions on and off the field by providing direct financial support, personal brand development, career mentorship and other professional opportunities.”

Runners Rising’s website said the collective’s volunteer staff vote on one male athlete and one female athlete each month to receive NIL opportunities.