Texas pushes NIL boundaries with major announcement

Texas Longhorns athletics have inked a deal with media and technology company Learfield amid the significant shift in the NIL space.

Tuesday marked the first day of the revenue sharing era in college sports. Schools can share up to $20.5 million directly to student athletes this year with that figure set to increase annually. Outside NIL deals that total over $600 will be subject to the NIL Go clearinghouse, which is ran by Deloitte.

Texas, estimated to spend more for NIL than any other school in 2025, has partnered with Learfield Impact NIL Services to establish the Longhorn Sports Agency, tasked with improving marketing efforts by combining on-campus content producers from Learfield Studios, Longhorn Sports Network radio broadcast and Longhorn Network.

The partnership, in part, is meant to enhance Longhorns' athletes access to resources for brand development and strategic content creation.

"Everything we do at Texas is about setting a high standard, and NIL is no different," Texas vice president and athletics director Chris Del Conte said in a release. "The Longhorn Sports Agency reflects our commitment to building an industry-leading infrastructure that supports our student-athletes and strengthens the Texas brand. This initiative is about doing NIL the right way, with intention, innovation, and the full backing of our partner, Learfield, who knows how to achieve excellence in NIL."

Longhorn Sports Agency will be led by Lucas Motta, the vice president of Longhorn Sports Properties, alongside a director of NIL business development, an associate of business development and an NIL marketing partnership manager.

Texas isn't the only school to take this path, as both Ohio State and Georgia have established similar partnerships with Learfield in light of the House settlement.