Spyre Sports Group co-founder details what makes the collective so successful

Spyre Sports Group is a sports marketing agency that was founded in 2020 by Hunter Baddour and James Clawson. The agency powers The Volunteer Club, an ambitious Tennessee-focused NIL collective.

Baddour and Clawson are both Tennessee graduates who saw the potential that a Knoxville-based NIL collective could have. “From the beginning, we saw it as a really good opportunity for Tennessee,” said Clawson. “We thought Tennessee had a good chance to dominate this space if we could educate people on NIL.”

Clawson pointed to several factors that make Knoxville a prime location for NIL activity. For one, Knoxville is one of the largest cities in the SEC and sports a passionate fanbase. Additionally, the lack of in-state competition in the NIL space was appealing. “We were motivated because we want Tennessee to be good again,” said Clawson.

The Volunteer Club offers a monthly membership to those who wish to support Tennessee athletics. Currently, the collective has 2,315 active memberships, with members paying anywhere from $5 to $500 monthly. The collective’s reach extends far beyond Knoxville at this point- Clawson pointed out that “over 30%,” of members are from outside the state of Tennessee.

To date, the collective has distributed more than $4.5 million to Tennessee student-athletes. The Vol Club notably inked RB Jaylen Wright to a NIL deal after the 2022 season, ensuring that Wright would return to…