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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

One Maryland Collective Becomes the Official Collective Supporting All Maryland Student-Athletes

College Park, MD (September 14, 2023) – Community leaders in Maryland have partnered with Blueprint Sports, the industry leader in full-service Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) collectives, to unveil the ‘One Maryland Collective’ – the official NIL collective supporting more than 550 student-athletes across all 20 sports at the University of Maryland. Until now, various collectives and other efforts have been underway to support NIL opportunities for Maryland student-athletes. The One Maryland Collective is the first collective to create a united and conscious effort to elevate the level of NIL opportunities in the market.  

 

“Maryland has been and continues to be a leader in NIL. With the launch of the One Maryland Collective, we are combining our NIL efforts into one united brand that will help student-athletes get connected with better opportunities to succeed,” said Damon Evans, the Barry P. Gossett Director of Athletics at Maryland. “Our student-athletes are deserving of the most robust NIL program available to help them grow their brands and become more active members of our community.”  

The new One Maryland Collective will unite existing groups into a single collective, including football’s TBIA Foundation, men’s basketball’s Turtle NIL, and men’s lacrosse’s Hard Shell Collective, plus provide opportunities for the more than 550 student-athletes who proudly wear the red, white, black and gold.  

 

Maryland Athletics has been a leader in the NIL space since its inception. Since NIL was instituted in 2021, our student-athletes have signed 1,522 NIL agreements covering all of our 20 programs, conducted hundreds of hours of community service, and engaged in meaningful opportunities to leverage their individual brands.  

 

“I am incredibly excited to have the One Maryland Collective as the main resource for our student-athletes,” said Michael Locksley, Maryland head football coach. “Our goal is to keep our football program competitive, which now includes supporting NIL opportunities to help our student-athletes have a well-rounded college experience.”   

 

“The One Maryland Collective will continue to move forward and enhance the options our student-athletes have for NIL opportunities. We have seen how impactful NIL opportunities are for our student-athletes,” said Kevin Willard, Maryland head men’s basketball coach. “The One Maryland Collective will be a resource that ensures they have the very best support possible.” 

 

One Maryland Collective supporters, alumni, and fans have three easy ways to contribute to the collective: 

 

  • Donations: Make a tax-deductible donation to One Maryland Collective through a partnership with the BPS Foundation, a 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 One Maryland Collective 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 Maryland student-athletes for endorsement deals, marketing campaigns, appearances, and other projects.  

 

The One Maryland Collective will be operated by Blueprint Sports, staffed by a dedicated full-time team to manage the daily operations of the collective, fundraising campaigns, corporate partnerships and more.  

“We are ecstatic to add One Maryland Collective to the Blueprint Sports family,” said Rob Sine, Co-founder of Blueprint Sports. “The Terps have an incredible network of alumni, fans, and supporters who have already made great strides in the NIL space. Our new partnership will allow us to build on that foundation and make One Maryland NIL one of the leaders in the East.”  

For more information visit onemarylandnil.com and follow @OneMarylandNIL on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.  

  

About Blueprint Sports 

Founded in Las Vegas in 2020 and backed by Andre Agassi, eight-time Grand Slam tennis champion, 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 around Penn State University, Boston College, NC State University, Kansas State University, Villanova University, Florida State University, Gonzaga University, University of Arizona, University of Tennessee, University of Nevada Las Vegas, University of Nevada, Ohio University, University of Toledo, Montana State University 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 Nevada Athletics Commission, among others. For more information, visit blueprintsports.com or its pages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.  

 

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Media Contacts 

Jason Yellin  

Maryland Athletics, Associate Athletics Director, Strategic Communications 

jyellin@umd.edu 

C: 443-597-9902 

 

Allison Monette 

Blueprint Sports, Vice President of Marketing and Communications 

allison@blueprintsports.com  

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Nate Brown

General Manager

Nate Brown is the General Manager of Zags Collective, leading the charge to help amplify the opportunities for the Gonzaga student-athletes through NIL partnerships with local charities, fans and businesses. With over a decade of experience in the professional sports industry and as a former business owner in Spokane, Nate is a seasoned professional who knows what it takes to succeed. Most recently, he served as the National Sales Director for a prominent west-coast real estate company, where he was responsible for driving growth and retention. With a deep understanding of sales and marketing, Nate brings a wealth of knowledge to the table and is always seeking innovative ways to drive revenue and create partnerships.With a passion for ensuring the success of student-athletes both on and off the field, Nate is dedicated to providing the necessary resources to keep Gonzaga competitive on the national stage. He understands the importance of building and maintaining strong relationships with the community and local businesses, and works to maximize opportunities for Gonzaga’s student-athletes. As the son of two Gonzaga alumni, including a father who was a baseball pitcher and also a coach for the school, Nate has a great connection to the university and a passion for ensuring its continued success. Outside of work, Nate enjoys spending time with family, including his wife Jessica and their 16-year-old daughter Brooklynn and 12-year-old son Marcus. When not working or spending time with family, you can find Nate at any one of the amazing golf courses in Spokane, honing his swing!

Mike Smith

General Manager

Mike Smith joined Micconope 1851 in March 2023 and is excited to be the General Manager and looks forward to working with Blueprint Sports increase NIL revenue generation for Florida State University student-athletes. Smith comes to Micconope 1851 from Catawba College where he held the title as the Senior Director of Athletics, Development. Prior to working in Athletics at Catawba College, Mike served as the Associate Athletics Director for External Relations at Charleston Southern University. Smith has an impressive background in the collegiate athletics industry, having held senior level development and corporate sponsorship sales roles at The University of Southern Mississippi, Limestone University, the Sun Belt Conference, Florida Atlantic University, and with multimedia rights-holders Tele South Communications at the University of Mississippi, Learfield Sports at UNC Chapel Hill, and with International Sports Properties at Georgia Tech. Smith is a graduate of North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina, and holds a master’s degree in Business Management from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. In his new role here at Micconppe 1851, Smith will be responsible for raising major gifts for NIL deals as well as securing NIL corporate sponsorships for Florida State University student-athletes. Mike looks forward to helping ensure the FSU student-athletes have the resources and leadership opportunities to remain competitive nationally and positioned for success well beyond graduation. Mike is married to Katy Smith; the couple looks forward to relocating to Tallahassee, Florida, and becoming a part of the Micconope 1851 and Seminole family!

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