• by Erik Sass  @eriksass1, August 27, 2015

Sports Illustrated has launched a new site called Campus Rush dedicated to the world of college football, publisher Time Inc. announced this week. The new site will complement SI’s existing capabilities in breaking news, analysis and features about the subject. 

Featuring reporting from 66 student journalists across the U.S., the new site isn’t just about stats and lineups, but will cover a range of subjects including the personalities, passionate fan base, and lifestyle of college football. For example, features will recommend the best places to eat around SEC and ACC campuses, produced in partnership with Time Inc.’s Southern Living, and “Campus Cribs,” giving readers a look at players’ dorm rooms and apartments.

On game days Campus Rush will curate a “social wall” around the game, showcasing tweets, photos, video and other digital content from tailgate celebrations and stadiums around the country. The site will also host SI’s 2015 College Football Tailgate Tour, presented by GO RVing.

The launch of Campus Rush builds on Time Inc.’s recent acquisitions of FanSided, a network of over 300 Web sites, as well as the three companies that together form SI Play, a new division devoted to youth sports. 

As noted, back in July Time Inc. acquired three companies that form a new division called Sports Illustrated Play, serving youth and amateur sports enthusiasts with online tools for player registration, scheduling, communication and scorekeeping, among other functions. Two of the companies -- League Athletics of Tucson and SportsSignup in Saratoga Springs, NY -- offer digital tools that post game scores and keep track of schedules, statistics and standings, as well as enabling participants to register and communicate. The third company, iScore, operates scoring apps for youth baseball, basketball, and soccer, among other sports.

This week Time Inc. also announced the appointment of Patty Hirsch as vice president and general manager for its Sports Group, overseeing digital strategy for platforms including FanSided. Hirsch previously served as general manager for the CBS Digital Media Services division.