Quarterback Arch Manning ahead of Texas’ game against CSU on Aug. 31, 2024.
Texas Athletics announced in late June that it would be partnering with Learfield to launch the Longhorn Sports Agency, an initiative to “optimize (Name, Image and Likeness) operations and maximize opportunities for Longhorn student-athletes”.
Learfield is the top media company in the world of college athletics, with ties to over 1,200 universities and connections to over 12,000 national and local brands. These connections will significantly assist Texas when it navigates what remains of the NIL world after the House v. NCAA settlement on June 6.
“The Longhorn Sports Agency reflects our commitment to building an industry-leading infrastructure that supports our student-athletes and strengthens the Texas brand,” Texas Athletics director Chris Del Conte said.
The partners plan to run the Longhorn Sports Agency using three objectives. The first is to create “on-campus NIL leadership,” making advising opportunities readily available for student-athletes on the Forty Acres.
The second is to assist athletes in creating content campaigns, with the aim of building and eventually monetizing a strong personal brand for each student-athlete.
Lastly, the Longhorn Sports Agency will provide access to “deal facilitation and compliance technology through the Compass NIL platform”.
Compass NIL is an app that stores all NIL exchanges in one place, providing athletes with a platform to receive deal opportunities, make agreements and receive payment from those deals through a digital wallet. Created by Learfield, this platform plays a vital role in the structure of the Longhorn Sports Agency.
“With the House settlement and the current landscape of college athletics, it’s critical to accelerate innovation, and we’re proud to support Texas as they continue to lead with a bold, future-focused approach to NIL,” said Solly Fulp, Learfield’s executive vice president of NIL growth and development.
Following the three initiatives, with the assistance of Compass NIL, Texas Athletics will staff the agency with NIL executives accordingly, including a director of NIL business development, an associate of business development and an NIL marketing partnership manager.
These executives will work with a group of Learfield staff, consisting of two supervising producers, an editor and a social content producer. The Learfield content creation team and Texas Athletics NIL executives will work with Longhorn Network and Longhorn Sports Properties to maximize athlete profit through storytelling and personal branding. This group of staff will work under Lucas Motta, vice president of Longhorn Sports Properties.
“Everything we do at Texas is about setting a high standard, and NIL is no different,” Del Conte said. “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.”
English (US) ·