Walker Jones: Role of Ole Miss’ Grove Collective ‘as viable as it’s ever been’
The Grove Collective remains a key partner for Ole Miss athletics, especially after recent approval of the House vs. NCAA settlement.
College sports has entered a new era of revenue sharing. Schools can now fork over up to $20.5 million annually to student-athletes starting July 1, 2025.
However, the fan experience and giving opportunities — at least in the short term — remain virtually the same. The only major change is the reliance on the Magnolia Sports Group, which was founded last year.
“We started Magnolia Sports Group about a year ago in anticipation of the settlement possibly coming and rev-share coming,” Walker Jones said this week. Jones is the leader of the school’s NIL initiatives.
“Essentially what Magnolia Sports Group is is a subsidiary of the Grove Collective. It’s going to serve as our marketing agency for all our corporate partners. So, all the businesses out there that are going to continue to support us will be clients of Magnolia Sports Group. That’s where all that corporate brand activation will live with all our business community.”
The Grove Collective, meanwhile, will house fan-experiential opportunities such as pregame tailgates, Meet the Rebels, autographed merchandise and more.
“Walking with the team through the Walk of Champions, going to private scrimmages, traveling with the team [and] those type of things,” Jones said. “The membership will provide really cool fan-experiential opportunities through the Grove Collective. Magnolia Sports Group is where we’ll house all our corporate activation. We put this all in place knowing this was a possibility coming.”
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Ole Miss brought back Meet the Rebels, a fan-favorite event, in March for the first time in six years.
It used to be held annually to help signal the start of fall camp practices.
“All our fans have somewhere to continue to give to us,” Jones said. “You can give as little as $20 a month as a membership and experience a lot of really cool opportunities and autographed merchandise and things like that. If you’re a business, you can be a business partner through Magnolia Sports Group. We’re prepared.”
The $20.5 million number is made up of new scholarships and cash distributions. Student-athletes will continue receiving compensation for the use of their Name, Image and Likeness.
The NCAA will also distribute approximately $2.8 billion in back-pay damages over the next 10 years to current and former Division I athletes dating back to 2016.
“I think we’ve built a high level of trust with our fans the last three years,” Jones said. “We want them to continue to support us. We’re going to continue to support [Ole Miss athletics director] Keith [Carter] and the athletic department and play our role. Our impact and our purpose are still as viable as it’s ever been.”
