Booster claims he gifted nearly 30 cars to Texas players to 'kickstart' NIL surge

The Name, Image and Likeness era of college football has been particularly good to the No. 1 Texas Longhorns.

Backed by a well-funded NIL war chest, head coach Steve Sarkisian and his staff have built the program into a national contender. And back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances wouldn't have happened if recruiting wasn't overhauled.

Since Sarkisian took the helm in 2021 – the same year that NIL was green-lit – the Longhorns have ended each recruiting cycle among the nation's best, including the No. 1 class of 2025.

That improvement on the recruiting trail was the plan for Texas booster Christopher Late, who leveraged his expertise as a care salesman to help his Longhorns draw top talent to Austin. The Late family has a long history in the business, but Christopher Late has turned things up a notch.

In an interview with ESPN, Late revealed that he began helping Texas players secure new rides back in 2021, starting with quarterback Quinn Ewers. The former five-star was making a transfer move from Ohio State, and One Fund collective Scott Freeman called up Late to help put a bow on Ewers' new career at Texas.

Since that moment, Late's Vanguard Auto Group has signed 27 Longhorns to NIL deals, Late revealed. Star players like Colin Simmons, Anthony Hill Jr and Ryan Wingo are among the group which also includes former players like Ewers, Matthew Golden and Kelvin Banks Jr.

Sarkisian and Co. have seemingly made the most out of the relationship with Late and his five dealerships, as the program regularly rolls out expensive cars during recruiting visits, too.

"I really wasn't doing it as a moneymaking scheme," Late said via ESPN. "It was really to help the university and get Texas kickstarted and help get some good players here."

Texas is projected to spend the most in NIL money in 2025, per NCAA estimates. And Longhorns' football will reportedly field a roster worth around $40 million.

Money aside, the program has to get it done on the field to show the model is trending to a national championship level. That challenge will begin in a big way with a trip to defending national champion Ohio State, which ended Texas' national title hunt last season.

No. 1Texas versus No. 3 Ohio State will take place on Aug. 30 at noon ET (Fox).