The Big Blue Legacy will be a NIL game-changer for Kentucky

Kentucky just upped its Name, Image, Likeness (NIL) game big time. This morning, the Virtus Brand, an independent company created to help players with their NIL opportunities, announced the formation of The Big Blue Legacy. According to the press release, the organization will allow “prominent business leaders” from across the Bluegrass to support Kentucky student-athlete NIL opportunities through pledges to The 15 Fund.

The 15 Fund, which derives its name from Kentucky being the 15th state in the Union, will have a board of directors composed of former UK athletes. It will be led by Fred Johnson, CEO of The Virtus Brand. Johnson, along with the board, will oversee the allocation of NIL funds with the goal of creating a marketplace to support all 29 of Kentucky’s men’s and women’s varsity sports programs. University of Texas boosters and former athletes recently launched a similar NIL fund, the Clark Field Collective, with an initial pledge of $10 million.

“Through the wonderful generosity of business leaders, we are fortunate enough to be able to greatly impact the level of support the student-athlete receives at the University of Kentucky,” Johnson said.

A Game-Changer in NIL

The Big Blue Legacy will work with The Virtus Brand to facilitate the NIL process. Current Kentucky student-athletes that work with the Virtus Brand include Wan’Dale Robinson, Kavosiey Smoke, track star Masai Russell, Kenneth Horsey, Josh Ali, tennis star Liam Draxl, and Davion Mintz.

“The recent changes to laws allowing for student-athletes to be compensated for their Name, Image, and Likeness present an opportunity to reward the University of Kentucky student-athletes, across their 29 women’s and men’s varsity sports teams,” Co-founder Ryan Miller said. “The Virtus team is leading the charge to provide the most comprehensive level of protection for all parties involved.”

“The 15 Fund enables the commonwealth to show how much they care about these student-athletes,” said Tom Bower, Co-Founder of The Virtus Brand. “It’s a dream come true for me to see the student-athlete being rewarded for all their hard work through NIL. The 15 Fund allows that to happen based upon their market value. The University of Kentucky is a gold standard in many ways; The 15 Fund in combination with Virtus helps keep everyone safe and affords the opportunity to do NIL at the highest level. We look forward to working with current and future supporters of the Big Blue Legacy.”

As NIL becomes a primary driver in recruiting, this will be a game-changer for the University of Kentucky.