Burnt Orange Heroes™ - Player-driven NIL community built by former UT players Derrick Johnson and Bryan Jones

[HornSports Staff]

Hey guys, wanted to make sure everyone on HornSports was aware of Burnt Orange Heroes™ - a NEW a player-driven NIL community built by former University of Texas standouts Derrick Johnson and Bryan Jones.  It will launch in a couple of weeks officially, but from our perspective this is a no-brainer for Longhorn fans that want to support and interact with UT student-athletes that are a part of it.  These guys provide a creative way for fans to interact with players while providing unique experiences at the same time.

Currently, more than 15 of the top athletes at Texas have signed onto Burnt Orange Heroes™.  They created a gated platform in the Discord community that allow the players and fans an opportunity to connect through scheduled engagements multiple times per week. Whether it’s weekly chats and interviews, exclusive player/fan events, or unique bucket-list experiences, the players and lettermen that drive the Burnt Orange Heroes are providing a one-of-a-kind opportunity for fans to get to know the player behind the jersey.

We've talked with Derrick, Demarvion Overshown and Justice Finkley about it and this is a REALLY cool initiative that will help UT players develop and monetize their brands as part of Name, Image and Likeness (NIL).

Overshown, Finkley, Roschon Johnson, Tanner Witt, Brenen Thompson, Jaylon Guilbeau, Anthony Cook, Isaiah Neyor and Jordan Whittington are just several of the athletes that are involved.

View more about the The Burnt Orange Heroes™ initiative here - https://www.theplayerslounge.io/burnt-orange-heroes.

Membership is obtained by purchasing a VIP Pass for $199 annually. Proceeds go directly to the participating player partners. Purchasing a membership is the best way to support these University of Texas student-athletes and strengthen the foundation of NIL at Texas. The VIP Pass can be purchased easily with a credit or debit card, and gives you access to all member-related benefits throughout the year.

What do you get for a Membership?  Access to:

EXCLUSIVE MESSAGE BOARDS
PRIVATE CHATS WITH ATHLETES
EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
IN-PERSON EVENTS
ACCESS TO TPL EXPERIENCES
MERCHANDISE & MEMORABILIA

As It Stands:

• Currently more than ~8,000 members in Discord community, where players and fans chat with each other and take part in exclusive “gated” interactions.
• More than 5,000+ similar memberships have been sold to fans at partner schools in 2022, with more than $350,000+ having already been distributed to partner athletes.
• More than 150+ top NCAA student athletes from the University of Texas and partner schools in the community are being supported with NIL deals.
• The Burnt Orange Heroes announces their Kickoff Party along with 7 additional partner schools to be held at the College Football Hall of Fame on July 22-23, 2022. More than 60+ of the nation’s top collegiate athletes will be in attendance. Tickets can be purchased by visiting https://www.theplayerslounge.io/kickoff-party.

HornSports doesn't receive anything from purchases of memberships, etc.  This is an initiative we are happy to help get the word out about primarily because it helps student-athletes and is totally player-driven.