UTSA Athletics Continues to Innovate in NIL Space with New Joint Initiative

The UTSA Roadrunners announced 'Runners United,' joining three local collectives to strengthen its reach in NIL.

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The UTSA Roadrunners continue to take innovative steps forward in the new NIL world of college athletics. 

On Thursday, the school announced a new initiative called “Runners United,” which brings together multiple collectives in the area to take a more student-athlete-centric approach to helping students. 

The initiative will unite City Fans 210, Runners Rising, and 210 Inspired, all San Antonio-based collectives that focus on NIL support for UTSA. 

Wayne Gonzales of Runners Rising is excited about the new approach. 

“Runners United has the power to significantly enhance the support we provide to UTSA’s student-athletes. With support from the University, this united effort ensures that student-athletes not only succeed on the field but are also equipped with the tools for academic achievement. Runners Rising will continue to lead NIL efforts for all non-football sports, while 210 Inspired takes the lead for football, ensuring that we cover every corner of UTSA Athletics. This approach allows us to focus on driving NIL success across all programs, giving every student-athlete the opportunity to benefit from our collective efforts.”

According to the release, Runners United's three main goals are to maximize NIL opportunities for all sports, increase fan engagement by establishing community-driven programs, and position the university as an innovative leader in NIL. 

Fans will also earn loyalty points by contributing to the Runners United collective. The university states that the program is a “ ranking system that creates a fair and equitable manner for recognizing RAF donors. The Loyalty Points system prioritizes donors for the allocation of football season ticket and parking options, postseason and away game opportunities, as well as special events.”

They have certainly changed the landscape of business lately in terms of name, image, and likeness. Just last month, the collectives partnered with UTSA football to debut ‘NIL Flash Give,’ in which a scannable QR Code appeared on the stadium's video boards, linking fans directly to ways they can support the athletes following every Roadrunners touchdown. 

UTSA, along with other schools in the conference, publicly committed to remaining in the American Athletic Conference after rumors of possibly moving as realignment continues to occur across college sports. The university released a joint statement reaffirming that it believes it is in the school's best interest to remain in the AAC. 

Without the need to worry about moving conferences, the university is using its time wisely and effectively to find ways to help the student-athlete. Being the front runner on these types of moves will not only benefit the current athletes but will also help attract highly recruited players in the future.