General | 6/1/2023 11:19:23 AM
DALLAS - The United Athletic Conference (UAC) has announced a partnership with Highland Growth Strategies to manage the UAC’s media and commercial rights as it begins play in fall 2023 as the newest Division I FCS Conference. UAC Executive Director Oliver Luck, a well-respected and experienced professional in collegiate and professional football as well as in NCAA administration, has been charged with leading this new and unique venture to help the 10 UAC member institutions capitalize on the tremendous growth potential around college football.
“We are a newly created league with an entrepreneurial spirit committed to driving value for our members and partners within an ever-changing college landscape,” said Luck. “I needed a trusted and respected commercial rights firm that shared those values and one that could build the league’s media and commercial rights platform to deliver maximum return to the companies that choose to invest in us. Highlands Growth Strategies is clearly the right fit for our league.”
With the addition of Highland, the UAC continues its focus on acquiring seasoned industry leaders to create a strong and successful football league. The partnership reconnects Luck with Highland founder David Johnston, as the two previously worked together during Luck’s tenure as director of athletics at West Virginia. At that point, Johnston was leading his first entrepreneurial sports venture (Rockbridge Sports Group), which was acquired by Outfront Media in 2016. Johnston brings over 25 years of collegiate multimedia rights experience to the UAC, having served as President of Outfront/Playfly Sports Properties prior to founding Highland.
“I am grateful to Executive Director Luck and to the leadership of the UAC member institutions for the opportunity to be part of this exciting new enterprise, one committed to creativity and innovation to compete and win on the field,” stated Johnston. “We plan to bring that same level of creativity to our corporate partners by launching a number of ‘first ever’ platforms that represent the future of corporate sponsorship engagement in college football.”
In addition to the partnership with Highland, the UAC announced the appointment of Ward Wyatt to serve as the chief commercial officer. Wyatt brings 22 years of collegiate commercial rights experience to the UAC, having worked previously with Johnston as general manager of LSU Sports Properties and as vice-president of Outfront/Playfly Sports Properties.
“The conference presenting partner platform will be the first of its kind in college athletics, delivering unique brand building, NIL and fan engagement assets across the conference footprint,” said Wyatt. “I look forward to working with the entire UAC leadership team to find partners who want to invest in the future of college football and college athletics.”
About UAC
The United Athletic Conference is a single-sport (Football) NCAA conference with nine participating institutions: Abilene Christian University, Austin Peay State University, University of Central Arkansas, Eastern Kentucky University, University of North Alabama, Southern Utah University, Stephen F. Austin State University, Tarleton State University and Utah Tech University. The conference will add the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) in the fall of 2025. Entering its third year as a formal partnership but its first as a single entity, the UAC will feature a six-game conference schedule in 2023 and a full eight-game slate for 2024. The UAC will recognize a conference champion and hold an automatic qualifier spot for the FCS playoffs.
About Highland
Boutique strategic and operational advisory firm serving clients in the sports, media, outdoors and entertainment market ecosystems. The Highland culture and process helps leaders Build Brands, Engage Fans, and Create Value for their organizations by driving Incremental Revenue, Cost Savings, Operational Efficiencies, Enterprise Growth, Competitive Results and Good Will. All engagements are bespoke and 100% aligned with the unique culture, vision and resource needs of our clients.
For Media/Partnership Inquiries
United Athletic Conference: Brian Morgan, Director of Communications (904-210-1012/brian.morgan@uacfootball.com)
United Athletic Conference: Ward Wyatt, Chief Commercial Officer (225-326-0481/ward.wyatt@uacfootball.com)
Highland Growth Strategies: David Johnston, President (434-422-0204/david@highlandgrowthstrategies.com)