CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA (MARCH 8, 2022) — Cav Futures, a Virginia non-stock corporation providing an inclusive marketplace for University of Virginia student-athletes to capitalize on their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL), officially launched today. The NIL collective will allow prospective sponsors to engage with student-athletes in compliance with current and future university, NCAA, state, and federal policies. 

The Cav Futures Board of Directors has named Lo Davis, a veteran of UVA’s Virginia Athletics Foundation, as the organization’s first Executive Director. Davis, a 1991 UVA graduate, brings 21 years of experience in donor relations, sports nonprofits, and sports sales and marketing. At Cav Futures, he will lead a team charged with providing education, professional readiness, and networking to maximize student-athletes’ potential through NIL opportunities, personal and professional growth, and long-term career placement. His start date is March 14.

“At Cav Futures, we believe NIL is not a four-year plan, but a 40-year commitment to student-athletes,” says Davis, who played on the UVA baseball team and participated in JV basketball. “To execute NIL properly means we make education the foundation and develop the whole person, including their long-term support of community activism, marketplace education, career development, and professional networking opportunities.”

Since July 2021, the NCAA has allowed college athletes to benefit from their name, image, and likeness in a manner consistent with applicable laws and regulations. Federal NIL legislation has been introduced but not yet passed by Congress. NCAA rules and penalties around avoiding “pay-for-play” scenarios and improper inducements to student-athletes tied to choosing to attend a particular university remain in effect.

Similar to other NIL collectives nationwide, Cav Futures will help UVA athletes use their name, image, and likeness to be compensated for traditional endorsements, social media promotions, appearances and autographs, in-kind deals, and equity opportunities. Cav Futures can also help elite student-athletes hire marketing agents and other representatives or service providers to assist them. In addition, NIL is an opportunity to further strengthen and support the Charlottesville area and university through community and social activism.

Cav Futures is governed by a seven-member Board of Directors who provide oversight, act as fiduciaries, and consult, advise, and assist the Executive Director. Current members include former UVA football players Ron Carey ‘90, founder and CEO of Richmond-based Tilt Creative + Production; Doug Duenkel ‘92, a Washington-area entrepreneur and adjunct professor at the UVA McIntire School of Commerce; Henry “Hank” M. Dudgeon, III ‘95, an accomplished tech founder and real estate executive; and Matt Link ‘97, a healthcare executive and venture investor. Stephanie Garcia ’10/’12, a track and field standout and pro steeplechaser whose work supports student-athletes and college administrators, also serves on the Board. Additional members will be named in coming weeks.

Cav Futures also has a growing Advisory Board to support the organization and student-athletes. It includes notable UVA student-athletes:

• Ralph Sampson ’83, the 3x National College Player of the Year, 3x ACC Player of the Year, first overall pick in the 1983 NBA Draft, and Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 2012 inductee
• Drew Fox ’94, a midfielder on the 1994 Men’s Lacrosse Championship team.
• Matt Schaub ’03, the Houston Texans record-setting quarterback, ACC Player of the Year (2002), and 2x Pro Bowl quarterback who holds several UVA passing records
• Dana Boyle ’14/’15, an All-ACC women’s lacrosse player, now an ESPN and ACC Network analyst and reporter
• Kyle Guy ‘19, the 2x All-ACC, 2x All-American, 2019 NCAA Champion, and today a shooting guard for the Miami Heat

Brian Socolow ’90, a UVA School of Law graduate and co-chair of the sports practice at a national law firm representing athletes and others in the industry, also serves on the Advisory Board.

"Cav Futures provides what is best about the University of Virginia,” Sampson says. “Being one of the nation's top educational institutions requires being tied to top-notch athletics. Now we also have a premier NIL collective marketplace that serves our student-athletes today, and a program that helps their individual branding for a lifetime."

“Cav Futures is helping give our student-athletes opportunities through our marketplace that they've never had before,” Schaub says.” UVA student-athletes now have the best of all worlds: a world-class education, competition at the highest level, and NIL opportunities that other schools just don't have.”

“I am thrilled to be involved with Cav Futures,” Boyle says. “My time as a student-athlete at Virginia and employment within the Athletics Department has provided me with some of my most genuine and treasured relationships to date. Over the years, those relationships have proven to be impactful well beyond the playing field, especially as I navigate my professional aspirations. I look forward to the opportunity to serve UVA student-athletes in the ever-changing landscape of collegiate athletics to ensure their lifelong success.”

About Cav Futures

Cav Futures is a Virginia non-stock corporation helping University of Virginia student-athletes capitalize on their Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) and offer a university, state, federal, and NCAA-compliant marketplace for sponsors to engage. The collective provides long-term support of community activism, marketplace education, career development, and professional networking. See how UVA is manifesting the NIL future at cavalierfutures.com.

Media Contact: Jeff Kelley

for Cavalier Futures

jeff@kelleyus.com

(804) 397-9700