The Grove Collective Partners with The Brandr Group and WheelsUp for First-Ever NIL Deal of its Kind
OXFORD, Miss. — The Grove Collective has announced a first-of-its-kind NIL deal with The Brandr Group and WheelsUp, a leading provider of on-demand private aviation, that will allow Rebel student-athletes to give back to their local community. In addition, Ole Miss Student Athletes will have access to commercial travel opportunities to allow their loved ones to attend Ole Miss games and athletic events through the commercial airline partner of Wheels Up.
The Brandr Group specializes in developing co-branded college businesses. They “positions brands to leverage student-athletes Name, Image, Likeness in conjunction with University intellectual property to maximize the value of their collegiate sports marketing initiatives.”
This venture marks the first time Ole Miss and The Brandr Group have partnered to provide meaningful NIL deals for student-athletes. WheelsUp is one of the world’s largest aviation companies.
Grove Collective student-athletes will help support Meals Up, a program that supports Feeding America which seeks to provide hunger relief for over 37 million Americans facing food insecurity through an extensive network of food banks.
There will be up to fifteen Ole Miss student-athletes promoting MealsUp, including: Jaxson Dart (Football), Quinshon Judkins (Football), T. J. McCants (Baseball), Hunter Elliot (Baseball), Myah Taylor (Women’s Basketball), Sasha Ratliff (Women’s Volleyball), Myah Taylor (Women’s Basketball) and Matthew Murrell (Men’s Basketball).
The student-athletes will focus on initiatives in the Oxford Community and Northeast Mississippi region. As a result, Grove Collective student-athletes will have access to commercial travel opportunities for their families to attend home and away games through an airline partner of WheelsUp.
“This is an exciting and transformative partnership that will create opportunities for athletes’ parents and family members to attend games and see their loved ones in person through Wheels Up’s commercial airline partner. More so, we’re honored to be the first Collective to partner with Wheels Up in this historic deal.” said Walker Jones, Executive Director of The Grove Collective.
“With the charitable impact and awareness these athletes can bring to food insecurity through Feeding America, the compensation the athletes receive, and providing Ole Miss student athletes with the benefit of commercial air travel for their loved ones, this is NIL at its best.”
Walker Jones, Executive Director of The Grove Collective
Donna Sprabery
Donna Sprabery is a former teacher, graduation coach, and academic coach for boys basketball. She graduated from the University of West Alabama with a major in business education and from Arkansas State University with a MA in Educational Leadership. A native of Meridian, MS, Donna enjoys traveling, gardening, writing, volunteer work, and cheering on the Rebels.
