Rencher, Boulware Bring NIL Opportunity to Clemson That Will Benefit Both Players and Fans

New NIL rules have not only benefitted college football players in a way like never before, but it's also giving fans of the sport opportunities to have unprecedented access to some of the players on their favorite teams and a couple of former Clemson players are looking to bring that kind of experience to the upstate.

Darien Rencher and Ben Boulware have started a new NIL opportunity called the Palmetto Cat Crew, with the goal of doing something that will be beneficial for both players and fans alike.

"We were basically like, 'Hey, how can we do something for the student-athletes now that they can get paid, and how can we do something for the fans,'" Rencher told All Clemson. "The idea is like any other entity. You sell access because the guys have access the people want."

The Palmetto Cat Crew offers fans membership to exclusive message boards, private chats with athletes, exclusive content, in-person events, as well as merchandise and memorabilia. Memberships can be obtained at the Palmetto Cat Crew website, and VIP passes can be purchased for $199. All proceeds go directly to the players.

Trenton Simpson, Tyler Davis, Kobe Pace, Tyler Venables, B.T. Potter, Malcolm Greene, K.J. Henry, Jordan McFadden, Drew Swinney, Andrew Mukuba, Joseph Ngata and Xavier Thomas are all involved, with Rencher telling All Clemson that more players might possibly be added along the way.

"We think it'll be a cool thing to fans, anybody who is a Clemson supporter," Rencher said. "I feel like to me, unless you have extreme access, unless you're like a former player or like a crazy big-time donor, this is a way of wanting to support the whole NIL movement and to help the players out at the same time. I feel like it only enhances whatever Clemson Football experience you have."

Rencher and Boulware, along with the 12 players involved, will all be in Atlanta on July 23 at the College Football Hall of Fame for a big kickoff event to launch the new endeavor that will commemorate the release of projects at Alabama, Auburn, Clemson, Oklahoma, Tennessee, and Texas as well as the success of ongoing projects at Georgia and LSU. The day will feature friendly competition, fan engagement, media appearances, and a couple of panelists highlighting the opportunities now available to student-athletes.

"We're launching next week, with the hopes that we think it'd be a cool thing to fans," Rencher said. "We've got a big event in Atlanta next weekend. We're all going to be in Atlanta next week at the College Football Hall of Fame for our big launch event."

Tickets for the kickoff event in Atlanta can be purchased here for $25