Even as player sponsorship deals are remaking the college athletics landscape, tracking the money at play is increasingly challenging.

Why it matters: Student-athletes are now able to make a buck — or several million — off their name, image and likeness, but knowing how much they're making and where it comes from appears more opaque than ever.

Catch up quick: Pressed in courts and by student-athletes, the NCAA in 2021 lifted its long-standing ban against athletes earning money from sponsorship and endorsement deals.

How it works: As part of a 2025 class action settlement involving student-athlete compensation, NIL deals worth more than $600 are supposed to be reported to the recently created College Sports Commission (CSC).

• News organizations like Axios used to be able to track breakdowns of overall NIL money, per sport, at the University of Texas through open records requests.
• But "the CSC is not providing school-specific information at this time," a spokesperson tells Axios.

Follow the money: In the nine months between June 11, 2025, and March 10, 2026, student-athletes nationally had signed $166.5 million across 21,025 deals, per the CSC.

Yes, but: That's "a fraction of actual deal volume," Bill Carter, who tracks money in college sports, wrote in his NIL Forum newsletter. That means universities and athletes "are making real decisions — roster construction, deal pricing, partnership valuations — based on a market that is substantially underreported."

Zoom in: Arch Manning, quarterback at the University of Texas, reportedly has promotional contracts with Google Gemini, Red Bull and Warby Parker, among other companies.

Money is also flowing to student-athletes in more obscure programs.

• In January, Texas One, the official subscription service for Texas Athletics, announced a partnership with MyPlayer Athlete, a commerce platform that enables college athletes to launch and monetize their own custom merchandise, such as hoodies or backpacks.
• "There are so many sports at Texas — like rowing and women's soccer — that don't get as much attention as they should," Will Collins, CEO of MyPlayer Athlete, tells Axios.

Taping "The Axios Show" in Sacramento last week, California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) praised Elon Musk as this generation's Thomas Edison — then accused the CEO of Austin-based Tesla of surrendering the electric vehicle market to China.

• "It breaks my heart," Newsom told Axios' Alex Thompson, describing Musk as "one of the great disappointments" of our time.

Why it matters: China holds 70% of the global EV market. Newsom argues Musk — the man who pioneered America's EV industry — is now accelerating that dominance by pivoting Tesla toward robotics.

• "I think this is Trump, not just Elon Musk," Newsom added, referring to the administration's systematic dismantling of federal EV incentives and mandates.

Zoom out: Newsom, on a book tour as he prepares a likely run for president, argued it was California's regulatory environment that created the conditions for Musk to become a "multibillionaire, maybe trillionaire."

• Musk still benefits from California's R&D tax credits, Newsom said, even while "turning his back" on the state.

The other side: Musk has criticized California's regulatory agencies as "overbearing."

Between the lines: Newsom has been in a running battle with Gov. Greg Abbott over redistricting, gun laws, reproductive rights and the headquarters of Musk's companies.

See the clip

Austin-based Oracle announced yesterday that it would cut thousands of jobs as the software maker builds out costly AI data centers. It's not yet clear how many local jobs are impacted. (CNBC)

🌮 The owner of Suerte and Este is buying Hoover's Cooking on Manor Road and plans on turning it into a taquería. (Austin American-Statesman 🔒)

🌱 University of Texas researchers developed a sensor that measures leaf hydration in real time, a tool that could help farmers and gardeners manage water use more precisely. (UT News)

🏫 Austin Independent School District will close Blackshear Elementary in 2028 and move students to Oak Springs. (KUT)

🌆 Stat du jour

The Austin metro area was sixth among U.S. metro areas that saw the largest numeric population growth between July 2024 and July 2025, per new data from the U.S. Census.

• First was Houston, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth, Atlanta, Phoenix and Charlotte, N.C.

A new voting proposal, the SAVE Act, could require Texans to register in person with citizenship documents.

Why it matters: While most Americans live about 20 minutes from an election office, more than 5 million would face hour-plus drives.

Zoom in: Austin's density may soften the impact locally, but access could still hinge on office locations and hours.

What's next: The bill remains stalled in Congress.

Look at the methodology

We're wondering why avocados are so cheap — even as everything else is so expensive.

Driving the news: Small avocados now go for 45 cents a pop at H-E-B.

• That's way down from June 2022, when they were clocking in at about $1.08 apiece at Austin supermarkets.

Why it matters: A staple food in these parts, avocados are great for helping manage cholesterol.

By the numbers: The U.S. has been importing record numbers of avocados, per the trade group Avocados from Mexico.

• Bumper crops, driven by healthy rains, have led to the glut in supply, Bloomberg recently reported.

The bottom line: We need to build cars that run on guac.