Dunn’s Choose Arkansas NIL firm nets 36 Hogs in two months

Payton Dunn wasn’t happy when the Arkansas Razorbacks lost to the University of Memphis 32-31 Sept. 20. So he decided to do something about it.

His new NIL – name-image-likeness – marketing company, Choose Arkansas has signed 36 University of Arkansas athletes along with 13 athletes from other schools to nonexclusive contracts to help them profit from their skills.

Dunn, 25, founded the company Jan. 5, the inspiration being the loss to Memphis. It didn’t help when the Tigers fans heckled him as he left the stadium, nor when the Beale Street barbecue restaurant waiter asked if he needed extra napkins for his tears.

Dunn knew Arkansas needed better players, and the way to recruit them these days is through NIL. He asked ChatGPT what steps he needed to take to create his own company and went from there.

“I think it was more of a calling,” he said. “I think it was, I tell people, if your house is on fire, are you going to sit and watch, or are you going to go grab a bucket? And I felt like the state of Arkansas really needed some structure and needed another opportunity. And that’s why I stepped up because I don’t have that in me to just watch things fall apart. I want to intervene.”

As of Feb. 27, the company has 32 Razorback football players signed, including University of Memphis transfer running back Sutton Smith, along with two volleyball players, one baseball player and one track and field athlete. It has 13 other athletes signed from Arkansas State University, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and Harding University.

The company will work with all colleges in Arkansas and does not require that athletes have exclusive relationships with it.

“By the definition, we do a lot of agent things,” he said. “We can do everything an agent does. But again, if they have representation, we work with their representation, right? We don’t take a cut of the athletes. We don’t make any money off a school or the athletes, and that’s the business model we wanted to set up because we want to give Arkansas the most competitive advantage and make it as beneficial for the athletes as possible, and that’s why we started.”

The Bradford native and Harding University graduate founded the company while serving as a first lieutenant in the Arkansas Army National Guard, from which he is being medically retired because of a knee injury and other health conditions. He lives in Nashville, Tenn., but travels to Arkansas often.

Dunn comes into the space at a time of great churn in college sports. Schools that opt into the House vs. NCAA settlement can pay their athletes $20.5 million in revenue sharing funds this year. To recruit and keep the best athletes, however, schools need the help of other athlete income sources, which a company like Choose Arkansas can provide.

Dunn said the goal is for Choose Arkansas to raise a sustainable $5 million a year. Its revenues come from three sources – marketing fees, partnership sponsorships, and memberships. First, it receives a fee from advertisers and event sponsors who contract with it for athletes to appear in advertisements, make social media posts, and make public appearances. Second it seeks corporate partnerships who can advertise on the website and receive other promotional benefits.

Finally, members pay as little as $1 a month for memberships where they choose where they want their money to go. Dunn said a sponsor has committed $500,000 in matching funds for memberships through March.

In return, members receive a private newsletter featuring insider content, giveaways, and invitations to events and meet-and-greets with athletes. The company plans to create an e-commerce side to the website where members will have a discount.

Five dollars a month lets a member be part of the DMAC Club thanks to the company’s contractual relationship with former Hog star running back Darren McFadden, who wore number 5 and is the company’s University of Arkansas alumni ambassador.

Dunn said the low prices give more people a chance to feel connected to the program they are supporting.

“I’m pretty sure you can put up a dollar a month, and now you are contributing to being a part of that team,” he said. “Because when I go and talk about Arkansas, I say, ‘Well, we lost that game,’ even though I wasn’t on the field, but it’s my home. This is a part of me, and I feel like everybody deserves the opportunity to be a part of that.”

While the University of Arkansas is the highest profile athletic program in Arkansas, he is working with other schools. He said some schools are not nearly as advanced in the NIL space as the UA is.

“I walked into an athletic department in Arkansas, and I was the most knowledgeable person at NIL, right?” he said. “They don’t have the staff there. Division 1 schools are just getting somewhat of a staff that could support the infrastructure needed for it. So you’re starting to see it trickle down at D2, like Harding hired a (general manager). So I think the D2 level is going to start kind of getting into that.”

Dunn believes more stability is coming to the college game. He said schools are getting smarter about how they pay athletes. Meanwhile, more athletes are realizing they need to stay in school and earn a degree.

“I think it’s going to get more structured,” he said. “Because with everything in America, we’re in a free market, and the free market usually figures it out and levels the playing field, if that makes sense.”