ASU ATHLETICS: NIL efforts skyrocket as Sun Angel Collective memberships increase

Arizona State’s NIL-focused enterprise, Sun Angel Collective, saw the subscription of boosters more than double in a week following the news of Ray Anderson’s resignation as athletic director. This is the largest collective effort surrounding NIL and ASU since its introduction to college in 2021. Sun Angel Collective is not an official part of Arizona State University.

Sun Angel Collective is a third-party group of boosters, businesses and organizations that pulled their resources together to help Sun Devil athletes benefit from NIL. The organization primarily relies on Opendorse, a software program dedicated to assisting athletes with monetizing their brands. Opendorse is the way that athletes earn funds for their NIL contracts and is also the way Sun Angel Collective handles payment after NIL requirements are met. The collective also works with local youth service non-profits and connects Sun Devil athletes with organizations to monetize their brands.

Zachary BonDurant

Three levels of membership are available for subscribers with either monthly or yearly payments:

Maroon Membership

• $250 per month or $3,000 per year
• One (1) Quarterly Autographed Item
• One (1) Autographed Poster

Gold Membership

• $500 per month or $6,000 per year
• Maroon Tier benefits
• One (1) Exclusive Sun Angel Collective Merch
• One (1) Entry to Semi-Annual Fan Event
• One (1) Raffle ticket for exclusive meet-and-greet opportunity with at least one student-athlete

Sun Angel Membership

• $1,000 per month or $12,000 per year
• Gold Tier benefits
• Invitation to annual Exclusive VIP Event
• One (1) autographed Item
• Access to a Private Event prior to/during a Home Game

Head football coach Kenny Dillingham said the new memberships were ‘unbelievable’ following a tumultuous week for the athletic department.

“It’s what we need,” Dillingham said. “Can we keep that momentum going? That’s the challenge. Can we, every day, set a new record? How many days in a row can we, as a valley, as an ASU community— there’s over a 100,000 graduates— can we set a record, whether you give 10 dollars a month, you give 250 dollars, it doesn't matter. Can we set a record, how many days in a row can we break that record?”

The wave of booster support comes at the tail end of Anderson’s tenure, a controversial figure in Sun Devil lure. But regardless of the feelings toward Anderson, ASU desperately. needed NIL funding from boosters as Sun Angel Collective was one of the last booster-led collectives of the Power 5 schools.

Three Pac-12 schools rank inside the top 20 ambitious NIL collectives according to On3NIL, Oregon, USC and Washington. Texas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Oklahoma and Kansas, all in the Big 12 at the moment, rank inside the top 20.