UT football players' NIL deals soar
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University of Texas football players — and student-athletes in general — are reaping millions of dollars from their success, per data analyzed by Axios.
Why it matters: Four years into the name-image-likeness era, the data, obtained through open records requests, shows how some student-athletes are realizing their earning potential.
- For generations, players were shut out from the lucrative Division I sports-and-money machine.
The big picture: The NIL explosion comes just as UT sports increase their media exposure with a move to the Southeastern Conference.
- On Saturday, the top-ranked Longhorns play 18th-ranked Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game.
- On Oct. 19, UT takes on fifth-ranked Georgia in Austin.
- Both games will be nationally televised.
By the numbers: From June 1 through early October, UT football players competing on an undefeated squad now ranked No. 1 in the country had earned $6.1 million.
- That amount was spread over 2,094 deals, or an average of about $3,000 per deal, which can range from a social media post promoting a beverage to an appearance at a hospital organized by a collective of boosters.
- Much of the money appears to be tied up in major deals with quarterbacks Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning.
Zoom in: Ewers, for example, reportedly signed a six-figure deal with apparel firm Rhoback in August.
- Ewers and Oklahoma quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. are starring in a new social media campaign for Dr Pepper ahead of their head-to-head matchup.
Flashback: Between Aug. 1, 2023, and April 30, 2024, UT football players earned $5.86 million in NIL money, per data obtained by Axios, finishing with a 12-2 record and winning the Big 12 championship.
- Over the same period, UT men's basketball players earned $1.82 million, baseball players $375,000 and women's volleyball players $256,000.
By contrast: UT football players earned just shy of $880,000 in endorsements from August 2021 through April 2022, NIL's first year.
- Over the same time period, women's softball earned $295,790; women's swimming and diving team members, $259,402; men's swimming and diving team members, $245,100; and men's basketball players earned $158,585.
Yes, but: That year the Longhorns went 5-7.
What they're saying: The increase in the value of NIL deals for UT football players and other student-athletes is driven by success on the field, broad growth in the NIL market and UT's shift to the SEC, Bill Carter, founder of NIL education and consultancy firm Student-Athlete Insights, tells Axios.
- "As the team competes in more high-stakes games, especially with the move to the SEC, opportunities for NIL deals grow," Carter says.
- "The more Saturday afternoons Quinn Ewers plays, the more people in our gigantic country know who he is," he says.
Plus: "Fans are more engaged with student-athletes than ever before, particularly on social media," he says. "This creates a demand for brands to partner with these athletes."
Zoom out: The total projected NIL market has grown from $917 million in 2021–22 to an expected $1.67 billion in 2024–25, per a July report from Opendorse, a firm that helps athletes connect with brands.
What's next: The Longhorns play the Sooners in Dallas on Saturday at 2:30pm on ABC.
The bottom line: "Brands want to capitalize on the visibility that comes with high-profile matchups," Carter says.