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Billy Napier views NIL as the next "arms race"

Untitled designby:Nick de la Torre•04/21/23•

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GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Name, image, and likeness rules have changed the landscape of college football. While the Florida Gators were one of the first programs to have a fan-run NIL Collective, they couldn’t keep up. Billy Napier made it clear that keeping up in regards to NIL is essential to success on the field.

“This is the next arms race,” Napier said during a town hall on Monday. “This is the next big thing relative to what you have to have in order to be competitive from a recruiting dynamic.”

Part of the reason could be the new nature of NIL and educating boosters and fans as to what it is and how it can help. Florida’s new NIL entity, Florida Victorious, launched with the full support of the University of Florida Athletic Association.

That shouldn’t be an issue now with Scott Stricklin and Billy Napier both openly advocating for Florida Victorious, which was founded by UF graduate Jose Costa.

“We have the vehicle. Jose has built the vehicle. Now it’s about Gator Nation getting behind it. I can tell you that I couldn’t be more impressed,” Napier said. “This thing is well thought out and there’s a really sound process in place for everyone involved.” 

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Florida has a large and passionate alumni base. The idea with Florida Victorious taking over as the lead NIL entity for UF is to have one community and less confusion.

“We’ve seen what every single university is doing and it’s best in class. We need to be under one umbrella. That’s how Florida Victorious was born. We don’t want to confuse people anymore,” Costa said. “We want one community that is best in class and where everyone can communicate. 

What makes Florida Victorious different?

The new NIL entity launched with six full-time staff that work solely for the Foundation. They hit the ground running, signing deals with 64 Florida football players. The organization also focuses puts an emphasis on community service and getting student-athletes involved in charities and in the community.

It will be professionally run and, Napier believes, will take Florida to the next level.

“This can separate us from the competition. We have the fan base, the tradition, the history the passion, the alumni network and we live in a state with 21 million people. We all know the power of Gator Nation. This is an opportunity for any and everyone that cares about Florida and the success of the athletic department to get involved,” he said. “I think that this is the arena we’ve got to compete in for the next few years. I think that’s why I’m so appreciative of Jose and his leadership. We now have what I think is the best blueprint in all of college athletics for NIL.”

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