Texas Athletics and Learfield to expand NIL leadership positions to support continued growth
Austin — In the everchanging space of college athletics, Texas Athletics and Learfield’s Longhorns Sports Properties are committed to remaining at the forefront of collegiate sports Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities. Together they launched another step to further enhancing its NIL and student-athlete influencer brand partner program by adding three new dedicated NIL leadership team members to its staff. The newly created positions of Director of NIL Business Development, Associate of Business Development, and NIL/Influencer Marketing Partnership Manager will complement the efforts of its existing team, which includes two Learfield Studios Supervising Producers, an Editor and a Social Content Producer.
By pairing high-impact NIL leadership with content development roles, the Longhorns aim to maximize brand partner opportunities and generate commercial revenue for its student-athletes. Similar expansions of staffs have contributed to 350 percent growth in NIL sponsorships for Learfield schools with these on-campus resources.
“I have said many times that a united Texas is a reckoning,” The University of Texas Vice President and Lois and Richard Folger Athletics Director Chris Del Conte said. “This joint effort with our partners at Learfield’s Longhorn Sports Properties, paired with our LEVERAGE NIL education program, is another step to guarantee that our department is a leader in the NIL space.”
This NIL Business Unit will report to the Longhorn Sports Properties’ Vice President, Lucas Motta, and work alongside the Longhorn Sports Properties team while leading the way nationally on strategic NIL/student athlete influencer dealmaking, executing influencer marketing services, prospecting brand partners, while offering activation support for student-athletes, coaches, and administration.
Capitalizing on the power of the reimagined Longhorn Network (LHN) and its extensive original content offerings, as well as existing channels such as social media and web, Texas Athletics will leverage its content team to deepen its NIL initiatives for brand partners. Through collaborations with Learfield Studios, Texas has launched multiple content series — many including NIL compensation — delivering millions of impressions for brands while giving an inside look at the student-athlete experience across programs. These efforts, along with other new original video and social content, create more avenues for NIL opportunities, further strengthening the program’s ability to engage with key stakeholders.
“Texas is one of the premier brands in college athletics, and they continue to lead and invest in NIL programs providing meaningful brand partner opportunities for their student-athletes,” said Solly Fulp, Executive Vice President of NIL Growth & Development at Learfield. “We’re excited to continue to help them grow real NIL which connect Longhorn student-athletes with brand partners through authentic content and storytelling campaigns.”
Learfield’s NIL deal-making is market-driven, delivering tailored solutions that align with brand partner objectives. Texas Athletics will continue to utilize Learfield’s enterprise-wide, comprehensive sponsorship solutions and extended services through the partnership to drive incremental revenue and additional NIL prospects.
About Learfield
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.
