ATHENS, Ga.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Notable University of Georgia supporters announced today the launch of Georgia’s preeminent name, image and likeness (NIL) collective. Classic City Collective was created to be the comprehensive destination for UGA athletes to capitalize on and monetize their NIL, while providing opportunities for all of Dawg Nation to contribute and engage with the athletes they passionately support.
Alongside strategic partners Icon Source and DGD Fund, Classic City Collective aims to be the nation’s foremost supporter-funded NIL facilitation platform to position Georgia athletics and its athletes from all 21 sports for sustained success. A variety of NIL opportunities will be made available to UGA athletes, including social media endorsements, traditional media advertisements, in-kind deals for promotional activities, appearances, meet and greets, autographs, and digital content.
Matt Hibbs will lead the Collective as CEO, with a Board of Directors comprised of business leaders and former athletes associated with the University of Georgia. Former UGA linebacker John Staton IV, a member of the 2021 National Championship team, will serve as Classic City Collective’s Director of Operations. Staton graduated with a master’s degree in Sports Management from the University of Georgia and a Sports Marketing degree at Samford University.
Prior to Classic City Collective, Hibbs spent 13 years as a collegiate athletics administrator and agent at a leading sports agency and has done stints at four Power Five institutions including the University of Miami, University of Tennessee, Ohio State University and, most recently, three years at the University of Georgia.
"We are excited to work alongside Georgia's loyal supporters, local businesses, alumni and fans to provide a resource that cuts through the complexities of NIL and provides an avenue for Dawg Nation to confidently support and connect with UGA athletes. We see an incredible opportunity to enrich, enhance and empower the lives of Georgia athletes,” said Hibbs. “Classic City Collective will create a sustainable platform to uniquely position UGA athletes for continued success."
During his time at UGA as an Assistant Athletic Director, Hibbs assisted the football program in navigating compliance and helped to develop and manage the NIL program department-wide.
“Matt proved during his time in our program how valuable he can be to our student-athletes and Georgia Athletics. His background and experience within and around collegiate athletics makes him a uniquely positioned leader in NIL,” said Kirby Smart, Georgia Bulldogs head football coach.
“Matt was an incredible asset to the Athletics Association in his role as Assistant AD for Football Compliance. He is a person of high character and integrity and was able to consistently align the coaching staff, support staff and administration to achieve a legal, innovative and fair outcome,” said Josh Brooks, Georgia Bulldogs Director of Athletics.
Classic City Collective, an entity unaffiliated with the University, will provide all UGA athletes with a unique opportunity to build a legacy through name, image, and likeness activities. Following a mission to enrich, enhance, and empower the lives of UGA athletes, the collective will use innovative solutions to create an ecosystem connecting student athletes to Dawg Nation in order to establish the first sustainable NIL structure.
As part of those efforts, Classic City Collective will launch its own digital marketplace powered by Icon Source, where interested local businesses and brands can connect with UGA athletes.
Icon Source is the leading digital endorsement deals marketplace, with a compliant infrastructure and established history of facilitating NIL endorsement deals. Its executive team is composed of former college and professional athletes, including Georgia football’s own Drew Butler, a former NFL punter for the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers.
“Icon Source is thrilled to provide the Classic City Collective with their own marketplace technology that will allow any and every brand or business the ability to connect with UGA student-athletes and send them NIL endorsement opportunities,” said Butler, Executive Vice President of Collegiate at Icon Source. "Under the leadership of Matt Hibbs, with his years of compliance experience and the trust he has among student-athletes, the Classic City Collective has positioned itself to be the premier collective in the country."
"CCC's alignment with Icon Source is an exciting opportunity to maximize NIL opportunities for UGA athletes,” Hibbs said. “Drew and the team at Icon Source share CCC's same athlete-first focus and are the perfect partner to streamline the NIL process for brands and UGA athletes."
The Collective will also partner with the DGD Fund, co-founded by Staton and teammates Stetson Bennett IV, Owen Condon, John Fitzpatrick and Payne Walker. The DGD Fund, the premier student athlete-driven charity in the country, has raised $108,000 and provided Georgia fans across the country a unique opportunity to change the game of charitable giving by supporting causes in the local community. Staton also helped successfully launch The Player’s Lounge with former UGA standouts Aaron Murray and Keith Marshall.
“Classic City Collective will provide Georgia supporters across the country an opportunity to be part of the first sustainable NIL company. As a former student-athlete, I understand that NIL is a powerful tool that many underutilize and undervalue. CCC will provide student-athletes a life changing opportunity by creating a platform they know has their best interests in mind,” said Staton.
The DGD Fund will be available to all Classic City Collective supporters as a charitable giving option. For more information, visit https://www.dgdfund.org/.
About Classic City Collective
Classic City Collective aims to be the nation’s foremost supporter-funded NIL facilitation platform to position Georgia Athletics and athletes from all 21 sports for sustained success. The Collective was created to provide opportunities for all of Dawg Nation to contribute and engage with the athletes they passionately support through a variety of NIL activities, including social media endorsements, in-kind promotional deals, appearances, meet and greets, autographs, and digital content. To learn more, visit www.classiccitycollective.com and follow CCC on Instagram (@classiccitycltv), Twitter (@ClassicCityCLTV) and TikTok (@classiccitycltv).
About Icon Source
Icon Source is a digital marketplace that brings agents, athletes and brands together. The Denver-based company is the only platform that provides brands of all sizes direct communication with agents or the athletes themselves, eliminating unnecessary intermediate steps to engage with potential professional or collegiate partners. Its proprietary AI technology pairs athletes and brands based on social audience demographics. For additional information and to create a free account, visit www.iconsource.com.
