Gator Guard – What is it, and How Will It Help UF?

On Thursday morning, it was announced that the University of Florida would be establishing the Gator Guard, a new way for boosters to raise money for the university’s athletic department.

This should be welcome news for Gator fans, as it has seemed like UF has been behind the crowd when it has come to NIL to this point. Even with the Gator Collective, other schools have seemingly had an advantage.

The Gator Guard is being run by Hugh Hathcock, a long time Gator booster who recently donated $12.6 million dollars to the Gators athletic department, which was the single largest donation in the history of the program.

So how is the Gator Guard different from the Gator Collective? The collective is a way for all fans to make contributions ranging from $10-$1000 monthly, and these fans can earn talks with players, merchandise, and access to interviews that the public doesn’t get to see.

The Gator Guard is where higher profile donors will go to make larger donations. Darren Heitner, who initially reported the foundation of Gator Guard, also told us that it has already raised $3 million dollars in 24 hours.

The Gator Collective is a great way for fans to get involved and help players boost their NIL profiles, but it can’t support the athletic department that way that Gator Guard will.

The money from Gator Guard will go into recruiting, stadium upgrades, and facility upgrades for sports all around campus. While football will likely get top priority, and basketball a near second when it comes to funding, sports all across the school will see benefits from the money that Gator Guard brings in.

This new way for donors to support UF will truly move the Gators into the elite class of schools when it comes to NIL. The days of watching the likes of Alabama and UGA run away with donor support is over. This news should truly excite Gator fans across the country.

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