In the ever-evolving NIL landscape, Tennessee's collective leaders have come up with an idea they believe will continue to keep it at the forefront: a retail store. A brick-and-mortar merchandise store may not scream innovation in 2026, but when you consider how drastically the Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) collective business has changed since 2021, it is. The brains behind Spyre Sports Group and The Volunteer Club believe it is the first of its kind in the college sports NIL collective space.
"If you're not willing to listen, learn, read, adapt and change in the NIL world, in three to six months, you can be a dinosaur," says Spyre Sports Group co-founder Hunter Baddour. "The NIL landscape changes constantly and, as a business, we're constantly looking at new revenue streams and one of them was starting a retail store." Says co-founder James Clawson, "We've had some great advice from some of our donors that in the middle of uncertainty in a market, you've got a lot of opportunity." The Volunteer Club retail store is expected to officially open on the Friday before Tennessee's home opener against Furman on Sept. 5th. The nearly 800-square-foot store on Kingston Pike in Knoxville will sell a mix of limited-edition memorabilia and exclusive clothing not found anywhere else.
Think a mix of Homefield Apparel and Barstool Sports t-shirts that can be a bit bolder and more creative than what the bookstore may sell. Anyone can walk in and buy a hat or t-shirt, but there will be unique opportunities for members of the collective's Volunteer Club, including meet-and-greets with current and former Tennessee players. The hope is that the store can not only generate new revenue but also raise awareness and ultimately drive more members to subscribe to its Volunteer Club.
It's a fascinating evolution in a time when many other NIL collectives have gone by the wayside. In the early years of NIL, new collectives seemed to sprout by the day, with many universities having more than one collective. But as the years went on, they started to disappear, whether disbanding on their own or being rolled into the university's efforts.
The passage of the historic House settlement, which allowed universities to directly pay athletes for the first time in July 2025, only accelerated that development. That hasn't been the case in Knoxville, however. From the advent of NIL, the Spyre Sports Group has been aggressive and creative in trying to help Tennessee win in every sport it competes in.
Launched 10 months before NIL went into effect in July 2021, Spyre Sports Group was originally intended as a traditional sports agency before it pivoted to NIL. In the early days, Baddour and Clawson weren't afraid to be brash about their bold intentions -- they were prescient back in 2022 in predicting the need to raise $25 million or more annually. They played an important role in landing five-star quarterback recruit Nico Iamaleava.
Extract — continue reading at the source.
