Valorant's biggest collegiate tournament
by Red Bull aims to support university students and elevate them at the worldwide stage.
Riot Games’s hit new shooter, Valorant, gets its biggest collegiate tournament yet. Although Valorant is one of the newest esports titles on the scene, it is already making waves as one of the most popular. Now, a year into the game’s release, Red Bull has now announced a new collegiate-only global tournament.
”“We’re incredibly excited to see Red Bull establish and help support VALORANT in the collegiate and amateur space,” says Chris Greeley, Director of Esports at Riot Games. “Our collective investment in amateur talent, both in what’s to come from Riot and through Red Bull’s commitment, is important for the future of esports and I’m looking forward to seeing which team will represent the U.S. in the world finals.”
Red Bull Press Release
Red Bull Campus Clutch is aiming to showcase the skills of university students around the world. But to make it to the top, you’ll have to battle through its brackets. The overall structure has teams going head to head in qualifiers before moving to semi-regionals, then playing in nationals, before battling it out in a global finale.
It is not just status on the line though. Students will be fighting for cash, a tour to Spain, and a gaming hub for their university. For more general information on the Red Bull Campus Clutch, view it here.
Oklahoma Qualifier
The University of Oklahoma qualifier is set for the April 10th, with its registration information viewable here.
What’s at stake specifically in this Oklahoma qualifier? Whoever succeeds in the this qualifier will play against Texas students in the local Regional. The winner of these games determines who represents Oklahoma and Texas at Nationals.
According to a Red Bull partner, those who make it to Nationals have the opportunity to play scrimmage against team Envy, a top 5 North American team. The winner team of Nationals will get $24,000 in addition to a trip to Spain for the Global finals. The final team left standing on the world-wide stage gets an extra $25,000 and a gaming hub on campus.
OU Esports Valorant
Those playing in the Oklahoma qualifier may end up playing against OU Esport’s Valorant Crimson team. OU Valorant Captain Quaide Parker stated that the team was “going to be using this as an opportunity to play with our incoming freshmen,” meaning a new roster for this tournament.
The current OU Valorant lineup for Campus Clutch, according to the captain, will be ShiivR, Dououou, Goopchill, mel, and Quaide, with the rest of the team on standby as substitutes.
“This is a huge opportunity,” Quaide said on the tournament, “for us to not only show what we have on a world stage, but also to improve.” Although the captain is optimistic, he acknowledges he has some tough fights ahead.
The Oklahoma qualifier is also set to include UCO’s Valorant team, and the following Semi-Regional holds battles against Texas schools. “But we are ready and excited to see how far we can take OU’s name into this.”
Finally, Quaide mentioned he’s “super excited to see the hype that this will bring to Collegiate Valorant, and I can’t wait to see what Red Bull can do with the production.” With the production power of Red Bull elevating the university Valorant scene, the eyes of esports will be paying close attention for what happens in this tournament — and what comes next.
