About NextName
Where college sports fans
find their people.
NextName is a community app for college sports fans. You join fan groups for the teams you follow, plan watch parties and game-day meetups with other fans, and keep up with athletes and team news in one feed. The app is free to download and join on iPhone.
Updated July 2026
What we build
What can you do on NextName?
The app is built around one idea: being a fan is better with other fans. Everything in it serves that.
01
Find your people
Join fan groups for the teams you follow. Every group has its own chat, so you talk through the season with fans who care as much as you do.
02
Follow the games
Follow athletes and get their public posts in your feed, next to team news and fan commentary. One feed for everything you cheer for.
03
Show up
Find watch parties and game-day meetups near you. RSVP, see who is going, and meet your group in person.
Who it serves
Who is NextName for?
Fans, athletes, and schools. Every product decision answers to one of the three.
For fans
Find your crew.
Join fan groups for your teams, get into the game-day chat, and meet fans who show up the way you do.
Learn more →
For athletes
Your community follows you.
Athletes join by invitation, share updates with the fans who follow them, and stay close to the communities that cheer for them.
Learn more →
For schools
Be a founding school.
We're inviting a small group of founding schools to shape how fans, athletes, and athletic departments connect. Request early access.
Learn more →From the founder
Who built NextName?
Ryan Thayer
Founder & President
Ryan and his father, Steven Thayer, started NextName in 2022 at the University of Illinois with a focus on supporting Fighting Illini athletes. A University of Illinois grad and current Northwestern JD-MBA student with a background in private equity and investment banking, he rebuilt NextName in 2025 around the recurring relationship between fans and the athletes they support.
Where has NextName been featured?
2022 → 2026
How did NextName start?
Started in 2022 at the University of Illinois as a digital collectibles platform, and worked with the Illini Men’s Basketball roster along the way. Rebuilt from 2025 on around the thing that lasts: the community of fans who show up for their teams.
See timeline →Independent fan platform. Team names used nominatively. Not affiliated with or endorsed by any school, conference, or the NCAA.
College sports run on the people in the stands.
Find your group, follow the season, and show up. It all fits in your pocket.