Just last week, Arkansas head football coach Sam Pittman told reporters that he was feeling much better about the team's NIL funding. He couldn't reveal why he felt better about it, but news broke Tuesday morning that Arkansas is forming "Arkansas Edge" as the official NIL collective for the University of Arkansas.
The following is a press release from Arkansas Communications:
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Blueprint Sports (BPS), the industry leader in full-service name, image, and likeness (NIL) collectives, proudly announces the launch of Arkansas Edge, the premier NIL Collective supporting all 465-plus University of Arkansas student-athletes.
“As we continue to strategically position our programs to compete and win championships within the SEC and nationally, Arkansas Edge is the optimum way for Razorback fans to support our student-athletes through NIL,” said Hunter Yurachek, University of Arkansas’ Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics. “NIL is integral to the success of our program and is reshaping the future of athletics at every major university nationwide. Arkansas Edge and its innovative team will work hand-in-hand with us to continue to connect our student-athletes with NIL opportunities that also serve our community, state and region. We encourage every fan, company, alumni and all those who support the Razorbacks to contribute to Arkansas Edge as we work together for the present and future success of Razorback Athletics.”
Each and every gift makes a difference. Starting at only $25 a month, community supporters can become members of the collective and show their support for the community with brand-new merchandise showcasing the new logo. As part of its launch goal, Arkansas Edge is seeking 5,000 Razorback fans to become members at $50 a month and an additional 5,000 Razorback fans to join at $100 a month.
Thanks to a generous donation, the first $1 Million dollars raised for Arkansas Edge will be matched, resulting in a $2 million impact for the benefit of Razorback student-athletes.
To celebrate the launch of Arkansas Edge, the collective will debut at the highly anticipated men’s basketball game against Duke on Wednesday night at Bud Walton Arena. Fans in attendance and those who visit arkansasedgenil.com during the game, can enter to win autographed memorabilia.
Arkansas Edge will be staffed by a full-time, local team of dedicated professionals to manage the daily operations of the collective. The staff will work throughout the region to proactively fundraise from supporters, work with local non-profits who want to engage with student-athletes and engage with businesses who believe that working with student-athletes can help boost their business and brands. With the introduction of Arkansas Edge, the former OneArkansas Collective will retire after blazing the trail for NIL at the University of Arkansas.
“We’re privileged to welcome the University of Arkansas to the Blueprint Sports family,” said Blueprint Sports CEO Rob Sine. “Our team has spent a lot of time getting to know the community, the coaches, and the administrators at the University. We understand how special the Razorbacks are to the entire state of Arkansas, and we are very privileged to bring our expertise from over 25 other universities around the country here to the Razorbacks.”
Arkansas Edge supporters, alumni, and fans have three easy ways to contribute to the collective:
Donations: Make a tax-deductible donation to Arkansas Edge through a partnership with the BPS Foundation, a national 501c3 nonprofit. Student-athletes will partner with a local nonprofit to work on charitable causes and commit to community service hours. Membership: Become a member of Arkansas Edge and receive exclusive member benefits, like meet-and-greets with student-athletes, autographed merchandise, and more. Corporate Sponsorship: NIL allows local and national sponsors to partner with Razorback student-athletes for endorsement deals, marketing campaigns, appearances, and other projects.
For more information about Arkansas Edge, visit arkansasedgenil.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
ABOUT ARKANSAS EDGE
Arkansas Edge is the official Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collective supporting 465-plus student-athletes at the University of Arkansas. Supporters, fans, and alumni who support Arkansas Edge are pledging to maximize opportunities for student-athletes to build their brands and engage with the community. There are various ways to get involved, including corporate partnerships, memberships, and charitable contributions. Arkansas Edge is powered by parent company Blueprint Sports. For more information about NIL partnerships with Razorback student-athletes, visit arkansasedgenil.com.
ABOUT BLUEPRINT SPORTS
Founded in 2020, Blueprint Sports (BPS) powers the industry's leading name, image, and likeness (NIL) collectives for alumni, supporters, and businesses, connecting them with student-athletes at their favorite university. BPS' national portfolio of collectives supports student-athletes across the country, including Penn State University, University of Kansas, University of Maryland, Boston College, NC State University, Kansas State University, Villanova University, Stanford University, Gonzaga University, University of Arizona, University of Tennessee, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Nevada, and more. The Blueprint Sports management team possesses over 50 years of college and professional sports experience, spanning the Pac-12 Conference, IMG, Learfield, and more. For more information, visit blueprintsports.com or its pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
