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When it comes to recruiting, the University of Florida just gained a significant leg up.
This week, Florida Gators Sports Properties announced that Gator Collective is now an official partner of the Florida Gators. The Gator Collective is designed to support student-athletes and connect them with fans. The group has seen major success since its inception in Fall 2021 – and they’re just getting started.
What is Gator Collective?
Founded by former Gators baseball pitcher Eddie Rojas, the Gator Collective exists to help fund NIL deals for Gator student-athletes. After joining, fans gain access to exclusive content and events. That includes behind-the-scenes footage, meet-ups with Gator athletes and raffles for Gator memorabilia.
Fans can join the Collective for as little as $6 a month. The majority of membership fees go directly toward NIL deals. Additionally, some of those funds go toward life skills training for Gator athletes. There’s no tier system, so that $6 gets you access to everything the Gator Collective has to offer. However, fans who can give more are encouraged to do so. The Collective is quickly approaching 2000 members. So far, the group has raised over a quarter of a million dollars to support Gator student-athletes.
Partnership with UF
With an official partnership in place, the Florida Gators will promote the Collective, just as they do with other official partners like Meldon Law. As part of the announcement, AD Scott Stricklin reaffirmed Gator Collective’s legal legitimacy. He confirmed that the group operates within established state law and NCAA Bylaws. Previously, Stricklin praised the Collective during Gator Talk, the weekly radio program hosted by Gator Great Jeff Cardozo.
The University’s endorsement of the Gator Collective will likely be a huge coup for the group. As of yet, UF is the only university to partner with a fan-sponsored system like the Collective. Neil Shulman of In All Kinds Of Weather acknowledged the group as “a major league recruiting weapon“. In the wake of National Signing Day, the Collective’s new potential as a recruiting magnet could serve as an additional incentive for fans to join.
Endorsement by Coach Napier
Want another reason to support the @GatorCollective? Our head coach, @coach_bnapier, just endorsed us on national television! https://t.co/Rl4blykOSL
— InAllKindsOfWeather.com (@AllKindsWeather) February 3, 2022
Head Coach Billy Napier’s on board with Gator Collective, too – just ask Paul Finebaum. Coach Napier appeared on the Paul Finebaum Show this week to talk recruiting. He made sure to show his support for the Collective:
“We’re very fortunate in that we have made a partnership with Gator Collective… Still very much a work in progress, but I’m excited about that. I think it’s unique, and we look forward to how that can impact our program, and certainly impact the players.”
Fans can read more about the Gator Collective’s mission and how to join on their website. With Coach Napier & the University’s backing, the Collective just might hit that 2000 member mark sooner than they thought.
