Star UT running back Bijan Robinson inked a contract with Lamborghini Austin in the first year of NIL deals. (Bijan Robinson/Instagram)
https://austonia.com/longhorns-nil-deals-2021
University of Texas athletes cashed in on over $2 million in the year since collegiate athletes have been cleared to make name, image and likeness deals, according to UT records.
Records obtained by the Austin American-Statesman show that 154 Longhorns sealed 418 NIL deals for a total of $2,039,180 from August 1, 2021 to April 30, 2022.
Here's how each sport stacked up:
94 football athletes racked up nearly $900k in NIL deals, including one contract worth $60k and three deals worth $50k apiece. While UT is not allowed to disclose names associated with compensation, UT star running back Bijan Robinson made waves with six major NIL deals, including a recent contract with Lamborghini Austin.
Softball earned its fair share as well with the second-highest NIL value of $295,790 spread among 64 deals.
Men's and women's swimming and diving programs each earned around $250k each.
Men's basketball athletes inked 71 deals for a grand total of $158,585.
And volleyball was the final sport to crack $100k with 26 contracts and over $105k in cash.
Things will continue to ramp up in the Wild-West collegiate NIL space as it nears its second year. This fall, fans will be able to purchase personalized jerseys for the first time, while NIL "collectives" are on the rise, including a $10 million fund to help athletes make new sponsorships.
And while some worry that the new NIL territory could become a hotbed for new recruiting strategies, using deals to entice new athletes is still illegal per NCAA rules.
“Everything that we’ve done, we’ve run by the NCAA to let them know what’s taken place," Texas Athletic Director Chris Del Conte told the Statesman.