University of Kentucky and Hoot App, Inc. Unveil First-Of-Its-Kind, Real-Time Social Network for Big Blue Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky and UK Athletics today announced a multiyear partnership with Hoot App, Inc. (“Hoot”), a first-of-its-kind real-world social platform built on verified human presence™ and designed to transform how fans experience gameday together. This partnership makes the University of Kentucky Hoot’s flagship collegiate partner and positions Big Blue Nation at the center of a new era of connected fandom.

“Here at the University of Kentucky, we take a great deal of pride in the way the Wildcats bring people together, whether around our teams, our events, or the shared experiences that help make Big Blue Nation so special,” said Heath Price, UK Associate Vice President for Partnerships. “A new social network that is built around in-person experiences and real connection provides an intriguing new approach to online platforms. We look forward to learning how Hoot can provide ways for our fans, students, alumni, and community to engage with one another in a positive manner. We are excited to see the platform grow.”

Unlike traditional social platforms built around followers and algorithm-driven feeds, Hoot is designed to connect users attending the same events in real-time. Using location verification technology, Hoot activates “Canopies,” live, geofenced social spaces tied to stadiums, tailgates, campuses, and downtown districts. Through the app, Hoot users physically present within the Canopy can post, interact, and view live content shared by others who are there, creating a real-time feed built entirely around shared experiences.

Big Blue Nation is one of the most passionate and far-reaching communities in sports. Hoot is creating a new layer of real-time connection around the UK fan’s experience, helping those in Lexington and across the world discover where the energy is, engage in real-time, and experience gameday together.

“We did not build Hoot to be another social app. Those already exist,” said Drew Gordon, Co-Founder and CEO at Hoot. “We built it to be the first real-world social platform, where human presence is verified, moments are real, and what happens online finally matches what is happening in the world. Kentucky and JMI Sports recognized that before anyone else. That is why we are starting here.”

Ahead of the 2026-27 academic year, Hoot will activate the ‘Big Blue Nation Canopy’ on gamedays, creating a live digital layer spanning UK Athletics’ venues, tailgates, and campus, in addition to downtown Lexington. Within the Canopy, UK fans registered in the Hoot app will gain access to real-time updates, community-driven content, and location-specific experiences designed to make every part of gameday more connected. Key features include:

• Find the Action with ‘Landings’: Landings is Hoot’s real-time discovery feature that shows fans where the energy is happening on gameday. See where BBN is gathering before kickoff, locate active tailgates and alumni meetups, discover partner activations and promotions, and track the most popular hotspots as they emerge. Real-time activity signals help fans spend less time deciding where to go and more time experiencing the best moments of the day.
• Share Your Experiences with ‘Echoes’: Post Echoes within the app: story-style updates that let fans share real-time photos, videos, posts, and on-the-ground moments with others inside the Big Blue Nation Canopy, creating a live, fan-powered stream of gameday content.
• Connect Instantly with ‘HootMe’: HootMe enables fans within a Canopy to message one another and receive alerts. Meet and connect with fellow fans one-off, receive section-specific alerts and organize chants, and stay connected.
• Unlock Exclusive Offers with ‘HootDeals’: With HootDeals, fans attending games in-person can access location-based offers, exclusive promotions, and loyalty rewards from local businesses, available only through the Hoot app.

For the millions of members of Big Blue Nation spread across the country and around the world, Hoot also creates new ways to connect with fellow fans outside of Lexington:

• ‘Birds Eye View’ Mode: Virtual fans can follow activity in the Big Blue Nation Canopy in real-time through a read-only experience that provides a live window into the gameday atmosphere.
• Pop-Up Canopies: Hoot can create Canopies in other major cities to connect UK fans outside the Commonwealth by organizing watch parties and activating alumni communities.

The goal is to make fandom feel more connected no matter where fans call home. This vision is especially personal for Hoot Co-Founders, Chief Operating Officer Sheena Ferguson Gordon and Chief of Partnerships, Mikailyn Maddox Huffman, both Ashland, KY natives and former UK student-athletes. Gordon, a former UK soccer player now living outside the Commonwealth, and Huffman, a former UK Dance Team member based in Lexington, bring firsthand experience inside Big Blue Nation. Alongside CEO Drew Gordon, those experiences helped shape Hoot into a platform designed to bring fans, alumni, and communities closer together.

“As someone who grew up in Kentucky, and also had the privilege of being a student-athlete at UK, this partnership is incredibly personal for me,” said Ferguson Gordon. “Big Blue Nation is one of the most passionate communities in sports, and we believe Hoot is going to give fans, students, alumni, and the entire Wildcat community a completely new way to experience connection in real-time. We are beyond excited to bring Hoot home to Kentucky and build something Big Blue Nation is truly going to love.”

While Hoot will play a major role in enhancing the gameday experience, the platform extends far beyond athletics. Designed as a real-time social layer for campus and community life, Hoot helps users discover what is happening around them, connect with others nearby, share live experiences, and engage with local businesses and events as they happen. Beginning Fall 2026, incoming UK students will also be introduced to Hoot as a new tool for real-time connection, discovery, and campus engagement.

The partnership was developed through JMI Sports – the University of Kentucky’s multimedia rights partner, operating locally as UK Sports & Campus Marketing – and names Hoot the newest Proud Partner of the University of Kentucky and UK Athletics. The agreement includes a comprehensive range of multimedia activations on-campus and during gamedays designed to integrate the platform into the student experience, including a significant presence throughout move-in weekend and K Week, as well as Presenting Partner status of Team Wildcat, the official UK Athletics student section.

“We are constantly looking for partnerships that create meaningful value for the fan and student experience, while helping UK continue to differentiate itself as a leader in college athletics,” said Brandon Baker, Vice President, Partnerships at UK Sports & Campus Marketing. “Hoot introduces a completely new way for Big Blue Nation to experience fandom, and we believe it has the potential to strengthen the sense of community that makes the University of Kentucky such a unique place.”

The Big Blue Nation Canopy will debut Fall 2026. In the interim, Hoot is available online and via the App Store.

+++

ABOUT UNIVERSITY OF KENTUCKY
As the state’s flagship, land-grant institution, the University of Kentucky exists to advance the Commonwealth. We do that by preparing the next generation of leaders — placing students at the heart of everything we do — and transforming the lives of Kentuckians through education, research and creative work, service and healthcare. We pride ourselves on being a catalyst for breakthroughs and a force for healing, a place where ingenuity unfolds. It’s all made possible by our people — visionaries, disruptors and pioneers — who make up 200 academic programs, a $1.02 billion research and development enterprise and a world-class medical center, all on one campus.

ABOUT UK ATHLETICS
UK Athletics is a leader in college sports, sponsoring 23 varsity sports teams (12 women’s teams, 10 men’s teams, plus the coed rifle team) and hundreds of student-athletes, competing for championships, ensuring their education and well-being, and providing opportunities for the present and future. The UK Athletics Department is shifting to Champions Blue, LLC. The non-profit holding company, a first of its kind in college athletics, is designed to provide the department with the flexibility to unlock new revenue streams through public-private partnerships and potentially other transactions, such as real estate. Later this year, J Batt will take over leadership as Champions Blue CEO and UK Athletics Director.

ABOUT HOOT APP, INC.
Hoot App, Inc. is a real-time social platform built around verified human presence™, helping people connect through the places, events, and moments they are experiencing together. Through live, location-based Canopies, Hoot gives communities a new way to share updates, discover activity, access relevant offers, and engage in real time.

ABOUT JMI SPORTS
JMI Sports is a leading media rights and venue development company that provides management of collegiate multimedia rights, sponsorship sales agency representation, and project management expertise for the development of collegiate and professional sports facilities. The company serves to maximize each client’s economic potential through customized initiatives, from marketing and branding solutions to facility design strategies.

JMI Sports’ signature collegiate multimedia rights partnerships include the University of Kentucky, the University of Utah, UCLA, the University of Pennsylvania, the University of Pittsburgh, Harvard University, DePaul University, Columbia University, San Diego State University, University of California at San Diego, University of San Diego, and joint-venture properties at the University of Georgia (with Learfield) and University of Notre Dame (with Legends). JMI Sports also represents multimedia rights for several conferences, including the Ivy League, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West Conference, the Patriot League, and the Atlantic 10, and serves as third-party sales representation for premier sports properties, venues, and events including Rupp Arena at Central Bank Center, the Rose Bowl, the Penn Relays, and USA Volleyball.

JMI Sports was founded in 2006 by CEO Erik Judson and technology entrepreneur John Moores, former owner of the San Diego Padres. To learn more, please visit www.jmisports.com.