Texas Tech athletes reported nearly $8 million in NIL money through first two years

Texas Tech athletes reported earnings of $7,870,700 in Name, Image and Likeness deals in the first two years it was allowed, according to information obtained by The Dallas Morning News through public records requests.
There were 1,120 NIL deals reported to the university from July 1, 2021-June 30, 2023.
Football led the way with 544 NIL deals resulting in earnings of $3,550,892.95, but men’s basketball wasn’t too far behind in total money. The men’s basketball team reported 155 NIL deals worth $3,185,225.82.
Baseball ($392,483) was the next closest-earning sport.
Specific names and specific deals weren’t included in The News’ request due to protections from the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.
Recently, other NIL figures by school have become public. Texas A&M athletes have made over $12 million in the first two years, according to The Eagle, while Texas athletes made $15,698,439 on nearly 3,000 NIL deals, according to The Austin Business Journal.
The News also requested NIL information from Baylor, SMU and TCU, but all three private schools declined.
It’s no secret that Texas Tech athletes have been receiving a lot of NIL money. The Matador Club, the exclusive NIL collective at Texas Tech, garnered headlines with its pledge to pay 100 — now up to 120 — football players $25,000 per year in NIL benefits, as well as $10,000 per year to every member of the softball team.
Cody Campbell, a Texas Tech alum and the co-founder of The Matador Club, said the collective’s goal is to eventually pay every student-athlete at Texas Tech.
Separately, Texas Tech quarterback Tyler Shough and wide receiver Jerand Bradley drew headlines when they partnered with NIL Leaderboard for a NIL deal worth six figures, reportedly.
“Just being able to get paid for playing, it’s amazing honestly,” said Bradley, who played at Plano John Paul II and DeSoto. “It’s a blessing because we work so hard every day.”
In the future, NIL information in Texas will be harder to obtain.
Texas’s newest NIL bill, HB 2804, went into effect on July1. There are multiple changes. It essentially allow colleges — and potentially private institutions, based on the interpretation of the bill’s text — to interact with collectives and other third-party entities.
The bill also seemingly undermined the NCAA’s reach, saying that no athletic conference or group can prohibit Texas colleges from participating in sports or penalize them for engaging in activities the new law authorizes.
But also tucked into the bill was a clause excluding NIL deals with Texas schools from public record.
In the meantime, however, we have a better idea of what the NIL landscape looks like at multiple Texas schools through the first two years of the NIL era.
Sport Deals by sport Value of deals per sport
Baseball 112 $392,483
Football 544 $3,550,892.95
Men’s Basketball 155 $3,185,225.82
Men’s Golf Info withheld Info withheld
Men’s Tennis Info withheld Info withheld
Men’s Track & Field 20 $11,947.00
Soccer 49 $37,698.00
Softball 48 $235,997.00
Volleyball 35 $4,891.00
Women's Basketball 44 $290,210.00
Women’s Golf 42 $2,920.00
Women’s Tennis Info withheld Info withheld
Women’s Track & Field 35 $4,418.00
The number of athletes who have reported deals to the university: 338