Six UM Students Sign With National Esports Team
Supernova recruits League of Legends players from Ole Miss Esports
OXFORD, Miss. – A leading amateur esports organization has signed six University of Mississippi players, giving the students an opportunity to compete at the professional level.
Supernova recruited the players to compete in the National American Challengers League, a developmental league for the game League of Legends.
"This is a great step forward for our program," said John McDermott, director of the UM esports program. "Supernova made the most sense for us because they're a well-recognized esports company that's going to treat our students well and bring attention to their talent."
The Ole Miss Esports team finished last semester ranked No. 2 in the nation for League of Legends, an online multi-player game. Similar to going pro in traditional sports, signing with Supernova means the students will be paid to play.
Also, playing for a national team will increase the likelihood of them being recruited to play professionally.
"Very similar to baseball, our team is basically signing a contract to go into what I'll call a finishing league or a developmental league, where the next generation of players are coming up," McDermott said. "With that in mind, it's awesome to see our program and our students being chosen as the next generation of League of Legends players."
The students who signed on with Supernova are:
- Roberto Nicholas Estrella, a sophomore computer science major from Quito, Ecuador
- Muhammad Amine Ez-zejjari, a freshman general studies major from Montreal, Canada
- K.J. Helgason, a senior computer science major from Ísafjörður, Iceland
- Ryan Keel, a junior political science major from Quakertown, Pennsylvania
- Gil Meron, a senior finance major from Jerusalem, Israel
- Scott Reynolds, a senior economics and business double major from Tallahassee, Florida.
Playing for an organization such as Supernova is a boost for any college esports player, said Ez-zejjari, who joined the team this semester.
"I'll get propelled into the semi-professional league and be able to compete against very good teams and players, which will inevitably help my growth and give me an opportunity to become a lot more experienced," he said.
The Ole Miss Esports team has signed six players to Supernova’s League of Legends amateur team. Supernova is a leading esports organization. Photo by Srijita Chattopadhyay/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
"Also, I get the type of environment that I love the most: a group that operates as a unit where everyone has the same goal. We're like a family."
Meron, a two-time USA national champion, has been playing League of Legends since he was 12. Playing for Supernova, however, will give him and the team a chance to improve and test their skills at a higher level, he said.
"I'm so grateful that they gave us a chance because it allows us to play at that level that we couldn't otherwise," he said. "I'm really looking forward to the start of the season because we've already seen improvement, and the season hasn't even started yet."
Besides the benefits to the recruited team, signing students to an organization such as Supernova benefits all students in the esports program, McDermott said.
"From a playing aspect, this brings a spotlight to Ole Miss and our program," he said. "By being on this stage, we're going to get exposed to a larger audience, and that opens doors for professional development, too.
"If you're a student who really wants to get into doing sports media, this is an opportunity for them, too. This gives students the opportunity and room to learn."
Top: UM students Roberto Nicholas Estrella (left), Gil Meron and K.J. Helgason are among the Ole Miss Esports players who recently signed with Supernova, a leading amateur esports organization. Submitted photo