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Leghumper apparel company, Onward Reserve, gearing up to pay NIL to 'humper players

Eagle5

First Round Draft Pick
Gold Member
Nov 6, 2001
34,584
47,110
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Birmingham, Alabama
I'm puzzled how this dude as an alumni and booster would pass the expected NCAA rules muster for an allowed NIL contract with UGA players. Could the E5, @captAUmerica21 , @crococile22 , @S-Town Enthusiast , and @Jeffrey Lee form an LLC, with our core business being to market and distribute our "best of breed" 3rd party swag and apparel for a cut of the take, and do NIL deals with AU players who were 4 and 5 stars and sign in the '22 class?

This is gonna resemble a FUBAR for the NCAA, probably some lawyers, coaches, and Compliance sooner than later.

A chess move that makes sense in the new world order is to convince Yeller Feller that he should privately agree for Auburn to DISASSOCIATE him as a booster (#StopTheSteele), and the BOOOM! Mega NIL fund formed, and operational for stud athlete investment. :)

E5

P.S. DON'T buy Onward Reserve leghumper apparel! Those pants attract mutts straight to your calves.


Buckhead apparel business poised to be first to pay UGA athletes

Jun 9, 2021, 2:02pm EDT


BYRON E. SMALL

TJ Callaway is the founder and CEO of Onward Reserve.

TJ Callaway is always tickled when sees college athletes at the University of Georgia sporting Onward Reserve, a men’s apparel brand he launched 10 years ago.

A UGA alum and diehard Bulldogs fan, Callaway is now poised to connect with college athletes in a way he couldn’t have fathomed a decade ago: paying them to endorse his products. Onward Reserve will offer a handful of standout UGA athletes after midnight on July 1 — the date Georgia law says athletes can officially cash in on their name, image and likeness.

“This is a no-brainer,” Callaway told Atlanta Business Chronicle.

Small companies, like Onward Reserve, can now capitalize on the large followings of student athletes. Callaway will send opportunities next month to UGA athletes: track and field star Matthew Boling, quarterback Brock Vandagriff, placekicker Jack Podlesney, golfer Trent Phillips and baseball player Connor Tate.

Onward Reserve is slated to be the first Georgia-based business to sign college athletes to endorsement deals. But, the floodgates may be ready to open. Restaurant owners could partner with the college athlete who love their food. Car dealerships can make a fan-favorite college athlete their spokesperson.

And businesses that broker these relationships between brands and athletes are popping up.

Denver-based Icon Source is facilitating the arrangement between Callaway and UGA athletes. Drew Butler, once a UGA standout punter, heads Icon's collegiate division. He's a longtime friend of Callaway's.

“It’s a very natural fit,” said Butler. “These student athletes shop in their stores and use their e-commerce website and speak authentically to what Onward Reserve represents.”

This is probably just beginning.

Georgia companies bouncing back from the pandemic will have more marketing dollars to spend.

“As brands become more comfortable, the volume of deals at the hyper local and regionally level will be tremendous,” Butler said.

Onward Reserve, which sells its own in-house apparel, third-party gifts and accessories, is expanding across the Southeast. Minority shareholders include Atlanta business leader and real estate developer Robin Loudermilk, CEO of Loudermilk Cos.

Onward Reserve is a popular brand in Athens, where the company opened its first of 12 locations nearly a decade ago. Former UGA quarterback Jake Fromm was a regular customer. UGA head football coach Kirby Smart has been spotted wearing Onward Reserve apparel. Former Clemson star quarterback Trevor Lawrence also wears the brand.

Callaway can engage directly with college athletes using a digital platform Icon Source provides. He can also leverage Onward Reserve's social media following to grow brand awareness. And, starting next month, he can for the first time compensate college athletes for their services.

Callaway declined to divulge the value of potential contracts with UGA athletes. He did say they are “low cost.”

The Thomasville, Ga. native says social media analytics will help gauge his return on investment. He's also considering whether to ask athletes for in-store appearances on gamedays. Maybe he'll put them in seasonal Onward Reserve catalogs.

The Buckhead-based company got its first UGA product license about six years ago. They’ve also got deals in place with Florida State, Clemson and others.

But the introduction into the NIL market begins with the Bulldogs.

Callaway said, “It goes hand and hand the story of our business starting in Athens."



Eric Jackson
Sports Business Reporter
Atlanta Business Chronicle
 
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