‘Desert Takeover Football Collective’ Revolutionizes NIL Opportunities For Arizona Football Student-Athletes
TUCSON – July 20, 2023 – A new chapter begins for Arizona student-athletes. Desert Takeover Football Collective becomes the first NIL collective dedicated to Arizona Football student-athletes. Desert Takeover was born out of the tremendous success of the Wildcats Football program, behind the leadership of Coach Jedd Fisch. The existing Friends of Wilbur and Wilma NIL collective will remain in existence, to support student-athletes in other athletic programs at the University of Arizona. Both collectives will be powered by Blueprint Sports, the industry leader in managing full-service NIL collectives nationwide.
Long-time fans and supporters identified the need to form a dedicated and united front to support Arizona Football. Desert Takeover will help maximize opportunities for Arizona Football student-athletes to engage with the community and grow their brand. The collective offers a unique platform for student-athletes to showcase their skills and create a lasting impact both on and off the field.
“NIL is allowing us to unlock our student-athletes’ full potential on and off the football field,” said Jedd Fisch, Arizona Head Football Coach. “We are building NIL opportunities now, that will help shape the future of this football program for years to come and provide a strong foundation for student-athletes. Our 5th Quarter program and our NIL Program work hand in hand to help our players become PROs, professionals in life.”
The collective is spearheaded by former Arizona football player and NFL player, Ray Wells, who serves as the Executive Director for the collective. In addition, Cole Davis, long-time supporter of Wildcat Athletics will serve as the Chairman. Davis and his wife Jeannie are amongst the most recognized and highly committed supporters of Arizona Athletics, with various contributions to the campus including their namesake building which houses the football team’s practice facility.
“The Desert Takeover Football Collective is the new frontier for NIL at Arizona,” said Davis. “We have one of the best football coaches in the country leading our student-athletes to win a championship. The support of every fan, donor, and supporter of Arizona Football is vital to the success of the program.”
The mission of Desert Takeover is to transform the lives of talented football student-athletes by empowering them to monetize on their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL). The collective will be professionally run by a dedicated full-time team, to oversee the daily operations and growth.
“The Desert Takeover Football Collective is our new and expanded NIL initiative that supports football student-athletes at the University of Arizona,” said Vice President and Director of Athletics Dave Heeke. “Arizona Athletics has been a national leader in this emerging space, and this new and exciting program is a tremendous opportunity to enhance the experience of student-athletes. NIL is now an integral part of our department’s longstanding commitment to an Athlete’s Total Success (C.A.T.S). Support of Arizona Football through the Desert Takeover Football Collective is crucial as we look to maintain our competitive position in the Pac-12 and nationally.”
The Desert Takeover Football Collective will connect football student-athletes with local and national revenue-earning opportunities, that will allow them to create custom marketing campaigns, plan speaking engagements, autograph sessions, and more.
There are three primary ways to support Desert Takeover Football Collective:
Donations: Make a tax-deductible donation to Desert Takeover 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 Desert Takeover 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 Arizona football student-athletes for endorsement deals, marketing campaigns, appearances, and other projects.
Arizona Football student-athletes have performed more than 500 hours of charitable work improving the Tucson community thus far this year. Partnerships and student-athlete activations have been executed with local organizations including The Boys & Girls Club of Tucson, The Center of Opportunity, The Community Food Bank of Southern Arizona, Habitat for Humanity Tucson, Ben’s Bells, and many more.
For more information visit deserttakeover.com and follow @DesertTakeover on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
