Penn State athletics announced on Thursday afternoon that its two previous name, image and likeness [NIL] collectives have merged into one, creating Happy Valley United.
Success With Honor, which focused on football and men’s basketball with the capabilities to support all of Penn State’s 31 sports, and Lions Legacy Club, the NIL collective singularly focused on Penn State football are the two organizations part of the merger into Happy Valley United.
According to a press release, Happy Valley United will be run by a full-time team led by a new CEO which is set to be named at a later date. The board of Happy Valley United will include noteworthy names with Penn State ties such as Ira Lubert, Anthony Misitano, Bob Poole, Larry Cusack, Mark Toniatti, B.J. Werzyn and Matt DeSoto.
“Both groups have been great supporters of our NIL efforts to date, but this merger was an important step in our ever-changing collegiate athletics landscape,” Penn State Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics Pat Kraft said in a statement. “It was imperative for these two powerful collectives to join forces to provide a large breadth of NIL opportunities for student-athletes in all 31 of our sports programs to continue to push us forward.”
“I am very proud of the work that has been done over the past 18 months by our staff and excited about the future that brings these two groups together to keep Penn-State athletics competitive and maintain the respectable reputation that characterizes our program,” said Mark Toniatti, former CEO of Success With Honor and current board member of Happy Valley United.
The merger marks the end of a two-collective era which saw no small amount of public sparring between members of their respective collectives and general lack of cohesion. NIL collectives technically do not fall under Penn State’s jurisdiction but do work closely with the athletic department.
The collective itself will be run by Blueprint Sports [BPS], which specializes in the NIL landscape and running similar collectives. Penn State alum Rob Sine leads BPS.
“Happy Valley United is a crystal-clear signal that the competition is not within Penn State, but our competition is around the country,” Sine said. “A unified collective combined with dedicated resources, infrastructure, and an impressive team of professionals will deliver on bold, aggressive, and ambitious fundraising needs that will keep Penn State athletics at the pinnacle of college athletics on the gridiron, on the court, and anywhere else you cheer on the Nittany Lions.”
How this impacts Penn State’s approach to NIL and its ability to raise funds for a unique and ever-changing landscape remains to be seen, but a new singularly focused approach seems likely to be a welcome change of pace as the Nittany Lions look to hold steady in the college athletics’ arms and NIL, race.
