LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In today's era of college sports, few things are as important as a strong NIL collective. With athletes able to freely transfer as much as they want while capitalizing on their name, image and likeness, a deep NIL war chest is synonymous with success on the field in the revenue-generating sports.
Since its inception, the 502 Circle – the official NIL collective of the Louisville Cardinals – has been a leader in NIL innovation and fundraising, and its efforts are beginning to gain national recognition.
On Thursday, the folks at On3 ranked the 15 best NIL collectives in college sports. On that list, the 502 Circle made the top ten, coming in at No. 9 overall. NIL collectives from Ohio State, Tennessee, Texas, Oregon and Miami rounded out the top five.
“Louisville has become one of the best-funded NIL collectives in the country over the past year,” wrote On3's Pete Nakos. “Led by former Cardinal Athletic Fund employee Dan Furman, 502 Circle has between 125 and 150 athletes under contract. That includes the entire men's and women's basketball teams.”
“The 502 Circle collective has one of the most robust budgets in the country – sources say it's in the $20 million range for football and men's basketball combined.”
502 Circle has played a critical role in talent acquisition for Louisville's football and men's basketball programs. In football, the Cardinals secured the No. 2 portal class in the 2023 offseason and then added the No. 1 class earlier this season, according to One3. As for men’s basketball, One3 called Louisville's 2024 portal haul the best transfer class in the sport.
Not only does 502 Circle have a war chest that rivals most programs in college sports, but fundraising isn't the only thing the company leads the way in.
Earlier this summer, they launched Floyd Street Media, an “athlete-owned media network designed to generate new NIL revenue.” FSM introduced content like “Keep it 100,” a show hosted by current Cardinals Kasean Pryor and Noah Waterman, and also broadcast both of Louisville MBB's summer games in the Bahamas completely free of charge.
(Photo of Louie: Kirby Lee – USA TODAY Sports)
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