The 2026 Back to Campus campaign for Nike x Fanatics x NCAA – A library of images captured over four days, with 18 models around Chicago.
Fanatics x Nike x NCAA: Back To Campus
July 202618 models, 4 days, and only one week to get the production together. Huge project for Fanatics at the end of July, just before “back to school” season. Two days for Nike’s NCAA teams, and two days with a broader set of the brands from Fanatics’ NCAA partnerships. Nearly 18,000 images across 16 college teams, with a great mix of locations like Milwaukee Ave, a small university, a west-loop loft, and an urban park. I’m proud of the huge variety of images we captured.
The goal was to capture the excitement of alumni back on campus for the first home football game of the season. Growing up near Penn State, I saw it almost every weekend in the fall as the town nearly doubled in size when alumni came back for football games.
Credits:
Photographer/Director - Nate Ryan
Producer - Gina Hessburg
Location Manager - Ben Miner
Digital Tech - Josh Marrah
Photo Assistant - Derick Smith
Photo Assistant - Mustafa Hussain
Photo Assistant - Mike Hammand
Photo Assistant - Mark Markley
Photo Assistant - Mike Collinsworth
Stylist - Carson Carwright
Stylist - Jessicia Mozami
Stylist Assistant - Lavi Besoaga
Stylist Assistant - Andy Shirath
Stylist Assistant - Melissa Maciel
Make-up Artist - Kerre Berry
Make-up Assistant - Shante Parker
Production Assistant - Rachel Meyerson
Production Assistant - Katherine Mclean