The University of South Carolina Upstate is a public, mid-sized university in Spartanburg, South Carolina, competing at the NCAA Division I level in the Big South Conference. The Spartans don’t field football. They aren’t a Power 4 program, and they aren’t competing financially with Clemson or USC across the state. But USC Upstate has built real NIL infrastructure for its student-athletes — and 2026 produced a current athletic success story that makes the case for that infrastructure tangible.
This is what USC Upstate NIL looks like, who runs it, and how fans plug in.
The Regiment: USC Upstate’s NIL collective
USC Upstate’s official NIL collective is The Regiment, launched on August 12, 2024. It serves as a fan engagement and brand partnerships agency working on behalf of USC Upstate Athletics and its student-athletes, with a membership program open to all USC Upstate athletics fans.
The Regiment is powered by Student-Athlete NIL (SANIL), the same agency that operates collectives at programs like Oklahoma, Penn State, Rutgers, and Bryant University. SANIL handles the operational side — compliance, payment processing, athlete agreements — which is part of why a mid-major program could spin up a functional collective without building the infrastructure from scratch.
Athletic Director Matthew Martin publicly framed the launch as a partnership that would deliver “unique opportunities, collaborations, and partnerships with fans and businesses that contribute to the winning traditions of USC Upstate’s Athletic programs.”
The Regiment’s website is theregimentnil.com. The collective operates within NCAA, Big South Conference, and South Carolina state law parameters — SANIL itself is not officially affiliated with USC Upstate Athletics but is acknowledged by the athletics department.
What 2025-26 looks like on the field
NIL infrastructure works best when there’s something happening on the field worth investing in. USC Upstate’s 2025-26 season produced one of the program’s most significant athletic stories in recent memory:
Softball — Under fourth-year head coach guidance, the Spartans made program history with wins over Southeast Louisiana and Belmont in the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional, advancing to the Regional Final on May 17, 2026 against No. 1 seed Alabama. The Spartans fell 9-0 to the Crimson Tide in the final, ending a historic run — but the program had captured its first NCAA Regional win in school history. The 2026 Big South Softball Championship is part of this Spartan story too.
Baseball — As of mid-May 2026, the Spartans entered their final weekend with momentum, including a walk-off win over Elon in extras (7-6 in 10 innings) and a sweep of Northern Kentucky. Coach: Mike Curran. The Spartans host No. 6 Longwood on May 20, 2026.
The basketball programs had tougher 2025-26 seasons:
Men’s basketball — Coach Marty Richter, in his second season, led the Spartans to a 13-19 record (5-11 Big South) — a significant improvement from his first-season debut of 6-26 (2-14). The program has been rebuilding since moving from the ASUN to the Big South in 2018-19.
Women’s basketball — Coach Jason Williams, in his fourth season, led the Spartans to a 12-20 record (6-10 Big South).
Home games for both basketball programs are at the G. B. Hodge Center (capacity 818) — a small, intimate venue that puts fans close to the action.
Notable USC Upstate alumni
USC Upstate’s most recognizable NBA product is Torrey Craig, who played at USC Upstate from 2010-14 before reaching the NBA with the Denver Nuggets, Milwaukee Bucks, Phoenix Suns, and Chicago Bulls. Other notable alumni include Ty Greene in men’s basketball, Chad Sobotka in baseball (Atlanta Braves), and a series of men’s soccer alumni (Joel Bunting, Calon Minors, Troy Simon, Jorge Valenzuela). The Spartans men’s basketball team also won the 1982 NAIA national championship as a smaller-division program.
What mid-major NIL actually looks like financially
The realistic picture at the Big South level differs sharply from what fans of Power 4 programs see. The dollar figures are smaller, the deals are more local, and the goal isn’t matching Power 4 NIL collective spending.
What you tend to see at USC Upstate’s level:
- Local Spartanburg sponsorships — restaurants, retailers, healthcare practices, automotive dealerships that want to connect with the Spartan fan base
- Appearance deals — autograph signings, public appearances, youth camps
- Social content partnerships — posts and short videos for area businesses, with payment tied to deliverables
- The Regiment’s pooled funds — fan and business contributions distributed to athletes through the collective for community-facing work
Total earnings vary by player. A starting basketball player or a softball player with NCAA Tournament exposure earns meaningfully more than a deep-bench contributor. That’s true everywhere — just at the Big South level, the dollar amounts are typically four to low five figures annually for most athletes, with marquee performers potentially earning more through outside endorsements.
Fans following individual players can browse athlete pages as another way to track and support specific Spartans directly.
Compliance and tax basics
USC Upstate athletes earning NIL income operate under several layered rules:
- South Carolina state NIL law — disclosure required before signing, no direct school-to-athlete payments, agent commissions capped at 30%
- NCAA NIL policy — no pay-for-play, no recruiting inducements, no contracts that conflict with university sponsors
- Big South Conference rules — applicable to all member schools
- USC Upstate institutional NIL disclosure — administered through the athletics department’s Compliance office before signing any deal
- Prohibited categories — alcohol, tobacco, gambling, controlled substances, and adult entertainment are off-limits across virtually all D-I programs
On taxes: NIL income is independent contractor income. USC Upstate athletes receive 1099-NEC forms rather than W-2s and are responsible for setting aside roughly 20-30% of earnings for federal income tax, South Carolina state income tax, and self-employment tax. The Regiment centralizes some of the contract administration, but the athlete remains responsible for actually paying the tax.
How fans plug in
Three real paths for supporting USC Upstate athletes:
- Join The Regiment at theregimentnil.com. This is the formal, athletic-department-acknowledged channel. Membership contributions support compliant NIL opportunities for Spartan student-athletes across all sports.
- Attend home games at the G. B. Hodge Center and other Spartan venues. With 818-seat capacity, basketball games at the Hodge Center are an intimate way to support the program directly. Baseball at Cleveland S. Harley Baseball Park and softball at Cyrill Softball Stadium offer the same in their own ways.
- Use RallyFuel’s USC Upstate NIL page. Conditional NIL contributions activate only if the athlete stays at the designated school — useful in transfer-portal environments where mid-major programs face retention pressure from larger schools. Funds auto-refund if conditions aren’t met.
Q&A
What’s the official USC Upstate NIL collective? The Regiment, launched August 12, 2024, powered by SANIL. Website: theregimentnil.com. It’s the official NIL Collective for all USC Upstate sports.
Who runs USC Upstate athletics? Matthew Martin serves as Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics. He led the announcement of the Regiment collective and is the public voice on Spartan athletics’ strategic direction.
What conference does USC Upstate compete in? The Big South Conference. The Spartans moved from the ASUN Conference to the Big South starting in 2018-19. They previously competed in the Peach Belt Conference at the Division II level (1990-2007) before transitioning to Division I.
Who’s USC Upstate’s men’s basketball head coach? Marty Richter, entering his third season in 2026-27. After a 6-26 debut, his team improved to 13-19 in 2025-26.
Who’s USC Upstate’s women’s basketball head coach? Jason Williams, who completed his fourth season in 2025-26 with a 12-20 record.
Does USC Upstate have football? No. USC Upstate competes in 17 varsity sports (women’s flag football is being added as the 18th in 2026-27), but football is not among them. The flagship men’s sports are basketball, baseball, and soccer.
What’s USC Upstate’s biggest recent athletic achievement? Spartan softball made program history in 2025-26 by reaching the NCAA Tuscaloosa Regional Final on May 17, 2026, after wins over Southeast Louisiana and Belmont. They fell 9-0 to No. 1 seed Alabama in the Regional Final.
Who’s USC Upstate’s most prominent NBA alum? Torrey Craig, who played at Upstate from 2010-14 before becoming a longtime NBA player with the Nuggets, Bucks, Suns, and Bulls.
What’s a realistic NIL number for a USC Upstate athlete? Specific figures aren’t publicly disclosed. The realistic range for a Big South athlete is low four figures annually for most players, with marquee performers — softball stars with NCAA Tournament exposure, top basketball recruits, baseball draft prospects — potentially earning more through combined collective and individual deals. Power 4 dollar figures don’t apply at this level.
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