GAINESVILLE, FL – SEPTEMBER 07: Florida Gators quarterback DJ Lagway (2) is considered one of Network Advisory’s star athletes. The Florida QB trusts Justin Giangrande’s workforce to search out him the very best NIL offers.
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College sports activities finds itself at a muddy crossroads. Athletes are getting paid immediately by universities. Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) has shifted participant endorsements into the limelight. The switch portal permits without spending a dime motion of labor, and personal fairness corporations are starting to see school sports activities, particularly soccer, as a practical funding prospect. Now greater than ever, school athletes trying to develop into professionals want good recommendation on learn how to navigate the shifting panorama.
Founded in 2020 by University of Florida (UF) graduate Justin Giangrande, Network Advisory is looking for to information highschool athletes by means of school and to skilled sports activities, constructing their model and giving them monetary knowledge alongside the way in which. Network defines itself as “a sports marketing agency, brand studio and entertainment production company that manages elite athletes.”
Giangrande attended UF through the glory years of Billy Donavan and Urban Meyer, the place he witnessed a number of NCAA basketball and soccer nationwide championships. After graduating Giangrande interned at Priority Sports, earlier than beginning his personal enterprise, NCLUSIVE. From 2010 to 2016 he ran his personal company, till he joined the Vaynerchucks at Vayner Sports. By 2020, Giangrande says he “missed running his own shop,” and after some alternatives arose to work with notable hip hop artists, he left Vayner Sports and based Network Advisory.
With places of work in L.A., New York, Miami, Charlotte, and Dallas, however simply fifteen full-time workers, Network is a lean, adaptable firm compared to the heavyweight sports activities companies like CAA, Wasserman, and Octagon. Network additionally depends on the attain of its Advisory Board — which incorporates AJ Vaynerchuck, former UFC Champion Vitor Belfort, and angel investor Lauren Jarvis — to increase its attain throughout completely different industries.
Network’s prime focus is on elite highschool athletes and present school stars, whereas most of the heavyweight companies are having to retrofit their companies to account for athlete wants within the quickly shifting school sports activities landscape.
Each athlete that indicators with Network is obtainable model advisory, expertise administration, and content material manufacturing companies. Network’s goal is to information every participant by means of the faculty recruitment course of and the complexities of the NIL period, delivering them the very best monetary and profession alternatives.
Network’s present roster of stars consists of University of Florida beginning quarterback DJ Lagway, former primary highschool recruit Malachi Nelson, Syracuse University soccer coach Fran Brown, and Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Julian Lewis.
The company’s level of distinction is its holistic understanding of the NIL area. Giangrande has all the time had a single-minded concentrate on school sports activities and has been placing nearly all of Network’s assets in the direction of NIL offers for his athletes.
“Justin has a far better understanding and plan for NIL than any other agency out there,” Network investor and advisory board member Gordon Whitener advised me over the cellphone. “I don’t think there is even a close second.”
Justin Giangrande has deep roots on the University of Florida and has gone from cheering on Tim Tebow to representing present Gators quarterback DJ Lagway.
Courtesy of Justin Giangrande
Whitener was a graduate assistant for Oklahoma State within the Nineteen Eighties underneath head coach Pat Jones. He ultimately grew to become a recruiting coordinator and helped make sure that the legendary Barry Sanders grew to become a Cowboy. He has a superb eye for soccer and a powerful understanding of what makes a powerful monetary asset.
Now the president of his personal funding agency, Whitener says he was launched to Giangrande a number of years in the past in Los Angeles, and was “immediately drawn to his energy and charisma.” He calls Network the unquestioned chief in NIL, which is considered one of many causes he invested within the firm.
“The college sports landscape is a mess,” says Whitener, noting that it’s going to most likely stay that approach for the following three or 4 years. With gamers capable of revenue from Name, Image, and Likeness endorsements, new monetary buyers are circling, and never all the time with the very best intentions.
“There are some people who just want to make money off of these young people,” says Whitener. “Justin and his team have a sincere, legitimate interest in them getting their value.”
Current UTEP quarterback Malachi Nelson was as soon as the primary highschool recruit within the nation. He might have signed with any company he wished, however selected to work with Network after being launched to Giangrande by a few of his coaches.
“My family met with Justin. We hit it off, and it was a snowball effect from that point on,” Nelson advised me over the cellphone. Despite a less-than-straightforward collegiate profession, which has seen him switch from USC to Boise State earlier than discovering a everlasting house at UTEP, working with Network, Nelson has signed endorsement offers with Culture Kings, FazeClan, Leaf, and different giant manufacturers.
Nelson says Network is “a lot more than just business,” describing the corporate as household.
Nivie Broussard, mom of Syracuse-committed broad receiver Calvin Russell, feels equally. Letting her boy transfer from Miami to central New York to play soccer requires a variety of religion in exterior advisors. Still, Broussard says her expertise with Network has been “smooth,” including that Giangrande’s workforce all the time “keeps you up to date and makes you feel like you are part of the process.”
Broussard says Network has by no means overcrowded her and her son through the faculty choice course of. In truth, the corporate inspired them to do their very own analysis on college applications and training types. “Something Justin taught me was, parents handle the school visits and Network can help handle the financials,” Broussard advised me over the cellphone, including, “that’s one less thing you have to worry about.”
However, simply because Network handles the financials for gamers, it doesn’t imply the athletes or their households are unnoticed of the loop. According to Broussard, Giangrande and his workers are continuously forwarding NIL and school sports-related articles to folks to maintain them knowledgeable about coverage modifications within the area.
“Network has a tremendous first-mover advantage,” says Whitener. The agency’s understanding of what manufacturers are in search of and learn how to develop relationships between them and athletes makes it distinctive. The proven fact that Network has discovered methods to associate its athletes with main manufacturers like Adidas, CVS, EA Sports, Lululemon, Rolls-Royce, and Nike is a testomony to Giangrande’s school sports activities enterprise acumen.
Giangrande says discovering the appropriate partnerships for athletes is about being affected person. Anytime he indicators a brand new athlete, he designs and defines a technique with them. Countless hours go into understanding what manufacturers the athlete likes, and learn how to make followers and potential companions fall in love with them.
UTEP Miners quarterback Malachi Nelson was as soon as the #1 total highschool prospect. He selected to signal with Network Advisory and has signed various NIL offers with prime manufacturers a consequence.
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Giangrande feels a giant sense of duty to coach the children and their mother and father as they make life-altering choices. And it’s his private contact and want to foster their manufacturers that he believes are serving to Network discover such high-profile shoppers.
Network has labored by means of ten cycles of the faculty switch portal and has delivered profitable model partnerships for every of its athletes. The trick is investing in gamers early. That’s why Giangrande and his workforce scout excessive faculties and train scholar athletes learn how to do enterprise earlier than school. This early funding requires Network to function on a deficit initially, however the sense of security this further stage of care provides gamers and households is price it to Giangrande.
Knowledge, outcomes, and phrase of mouth have helped Network develop into what it’s at this time, arguably probably the most profitable boutique sports activities company working in school sports activities. The company focuses on the primary points: predominantly constructing manufacturers and connecting gamers to monetary alternatives. Network Studios additionally helps with storytelling by curating and posting social media content material and launching athlete and coach IPs.
Looking forward, Giangrande desires Network to keep up its management position in school sports activities. Despite receiving loads of enquiries about Network, he’s not trying to promote. “I could fight with the big giants or be an innovator in the space I’m passionate about,” Giangrande says.
Network expects the faculty sports activities chaos to proceed to unfold within the coming years. Giangrande says there must be a tough take a look at the significance of training in collegiate sports activities. Moreover, questions will come up about gamers having an excessive amount of leverage and about learn how to preserve the existence of non-money-making sports activities applications like volleyball, gymnastics, and different Olympic sports activities. What Giangrande is obvious on is that school sports activities will proceed to have an effect on skilled sports activities and that athletes will proceed to wish steering as they mature into grownup professionals. In that occasion, he hopes they’ll search out Network Advisory.