As the landscape in college athletics continues to change, Eagle Nation Collective has been launched and announced as the official gateway to link fans, donors and businesses with Georgia Southern student-athletes to facilitate name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities.
Eagle Nation Collective provides a platform where all dedicated and loyal alums and donors can join in providing financial support in our drive for comprehensive success for Eagle student-athletes, on and off the field of play. Fans can go to www.eaglenationnil.com to donate or for more information.
"Georgia Southern Athletics continues to prioritize and increase its overall support for our student-athletes, including maximizing their NIL opportunities," Director of Athletics Jared Benko said. "The Eagle Nation Collective is another opportunity for our fans, donors and alumni to support our student-athletes in their NIL-related activities while at Georgia Southern and when their careers are finished. We fully support the Eagle Nation Collective."
While not directly affiliated with Georgia Southern Athletics, the Eagle Nation Collective is the Official NIL Collective and will operate within NCAA, Sun Belt and State of Georgia parameters to enhance opportunities for Eagle student-athletes.
Eagle Nation Collective is a Limited Liability Corporation (LLC) and is the Official Collective of Georgia Southern Athletics. It was created by 20 trusted Eagle supporters who had a shared vision to continue to transform Georgia Southern Athletics and promote Georgia Southern's student-athletes' potential endorsement opportunities. The Eagle Nation Collective seeks to create a wide range of NIL opportunities for student-athletes that help them grow as young men and women while allowing supporters to interact with student-athletes in unique ways.
"NIL is a huge advantage for student-athletes," said Kyle Vantrease, former Georgia Southern quarterback and Director of Business Development of Eagle Nation Collective. "I believe that while it changes the landscape of college athletics, the best thing it does is change young athletes' lives. If NIL had been around my entire collegiate career, it would have helped me immensely. It would have taken the pressure off of my parents to have to pay for everything for me. Because of the rigorous schedule of being a student-athlete, I could not get a job to pay for various expenses. Things like car insurance, car repairs, new clothes, etc., were not things I was regularly able to afford, and I had to rely on my parents or consider taking a loan. Not only that, but I would have enjoyed my experience more and connected with other student-athletes and community members by giving back and paying it forward."
Through an agreement with Georgia Southern Sports Properties (Learfield), the Collective has entered into a multi-media rights partnership with Georgia Southern Athletics. This partnership grants ENC the ability to use the branding, logo and marks of Georgia Southern Athletics in marketing efforts.
"The landscape of college athletics has changed drastically, and it continues to do so daily," said Leonard Bevill, Eagle Nation Collective Founder and Executive Director. "All Georgia Southern fans know we expect to compete at the highest level yearly in all sports. With the launch of the Eagle Nation Collective, our student-athletes now have a dedicated platform that will allow them to have all tools necessary to succeed both on and off the field. This new exciting platform allows our loyal alumni and donors to provide financial support at varying levels and benefits. I'm excited to be able to lead this new venture, which I believe will allow all of our athletic programs to attract and retain the best student-athletes possible. I encourage all of Eagle Nation to get involved, support this new direction, and help us soar to new heights."
