A quick guide to Ducks Rising, the latest Oregon NIL collective

The I-5 Corridor spoke with Andrew Parmentier, the founder of Ducks Rising.

Andrew Parmentier apologized for the phone tag — a call with Oregon linebacker Justin Flowe had run long. 

The two were putting the finishing touches on a fishing video that will be featured alongside the Wednesday launch of the new Oregon NIL collective “Ducks Rising.” And with 24 hours until the site went live, the former Wall Street analyst and private equity executive had all hands on deck. 

“I’ve worked in really fast-paced environments for the last couple of decades,” said Parmentier, a UO alum who now lives in Boulder. “And sometimes knowing that you’ve got to launch something before, like, the first game of the season, it’s good. It means you have to work quickly.” 

The idea of Ducks Rising began in December when Parmentier started a Discord server with other fans and boosters to kick around NIL ideas for Oregon in this “collective” era — where fans can pool money together to pay players for name, image and likeness purposes. With the Phil Knight-backed Division Street already taking care of large scale NIL projects, Parmentier wanted to create something that benefitted players and fans alike on a smaller scale. Eventually, they centered around the idea of a subscription-based website where players provide behind the scenes access and content for a fee.

Ducks Rising isn’t after sharks, he said. It’s after Ducks. 

“Division Street is the primary NIL platform associated with the university, but they’re operating in the deep end of the pool with the people with deeper pockets,” Parmentier said. “We’re playing in the other end of the pool where the majority of fans are.” 

Ducks Rising isn’t the first Oregon NIL collective. Earlier this month Eugene NIL Club launched, with players like Dontae Manning and DJ Johnson promoting the platform run by Yoke, an Atlanta-based company that launched similar ventures at Michigan State, Texas, Auburn, Minnesota and more.

Since collectives are independent of the universities, there will end up be competing entities. That’s just good for the players, Parmentier said.

“I believe in the free market and I would never do anything to limit a player’s ability to participate in NIL, even if it’s a competing platform,” he said. “We all have similar goals of helping athletes and the university.

“The proof will be in the pudding. We’re a platform for Ducks, by Ducks. We are fans. We are alumni. I think at the end of the day, consumers will vote with their wallets.”

Ducks Rising launches at 12 p.m. on DucksRising.com

— Tyson Alger
@tysonalger