When it’s NIL discussion, one college football program is never left out of the conversation. That’s none other than Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns. After all, when it comes to NIL, Sarkisian is always high on energy. As he said, “We’re navigating the NIL space, I think, as good or better than anybody.” And his players actually proved it right. Five gems from Sarkisian’s squad are reigning on the NIL track. The most obvious being Arch Manning. But who are the rest?  

On August 21, One Stop Texas tweeted, “The FIVE Longhorns With The Highest NIL Valuations | Per @On3sports.” The list features, “Arch Manning | $6.8 Million Ryan Wingo | $1.5 Million Colin Simmons | $1.5 Million Justus Terry | $825,000 Anthony Hill Jr. | $717,000.” That calls for a bold eight-figure mark worth $11.342 million, combining all five of them. Now that Shedeur Sanders is gone, Manning is leading the pack. And for Manning, Texas has been the best fit when it comes to tax exemptions. While California has the highest state income tax rate (13.3%), according to a Tax Foundation chart, Texas folks are free from the income tax axe falling on their neck. 

So, when it comes to the NIL race, there has been no looking back for Manning, having locked deals with big names like Panini America, Raising Cane’s, Uber, Vuori, Red Bull, among others. The next up in line is Sarkisian’s wide receiver Ryan Wingo. He is already holding a $1.5 million NIL valuation. Last year, he had signed a major NIL deal with Vanguard Volkswagen. The same month, Sarkisian’s wide receiver locked a deal with Dell Medical Center.

Right now, Beats by Dre has picked up the buzz after releasing their “Elite” class. We have seen Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer distributing Beats by Dre headsets to teammates after being featured in the class. Sarkisian’s linebacker Colin Simmons, too, is part of that nine-member elite class. The big edge rusher had also inked a huge deal with Vanguard Volkswagen last January. And what about Sarkisian’s 5-star recruit Justus Terry?

Well, he has been pretty honest when he said that his decision to choose between Texas and Georgia was solely based on who got the better NIL package. Back in February, he landed the highest NIL deal among incoming freshman defensive players. Sarkisian’s fifth frontrunner in the NIL race is their star linebacker, Anthony Hill Jr. Hill’s deals include endorsements with national brands like Kane Footwear and Vanguard Volkswagen, similar to teammates’ partnerships with Bose or Goat Fuel. All these NIL discussions bring up the Longhorns $40 million conversation.   

The big $40 million NIL debate in Steve Sarkisian’s Texas

In April this year, fans were still coping with the fact that Ohio State’s $20 million NIL budget helped them bring a Natty home. That’s when Sarkisian’s Texas NIL amount picked up a lot of heat. Houston Chronicle’s Kirk Bohls turned heads reporting the fat amount Texas was reported to be dishing out for their 2025 roster. The amount is supposed to be somewhere “between $35 million and $40 million.” 

The figure covered money from the revenue-sharing allotment that is expected to be around $20.5 million, while the payouts from the school’s official NIL collective, the Texas One Fund, were also included. However, as soon as the news started to spread, it reached Sarkisian. And the head coach had to do something about it. He immediately commented on the speculations a month later. 

In an interview with College Sports on SiriusXM, the Longhorns head coach shared, “What’s frustrating on that was it was a little bit of irresponsible reporting.” Sarkisian further tried to establish his point, stating, “It was one anonymous source who said that was what our roster was. I wish I had $40 million on our roster. We’d probably be a little better team than we are.”

Coming to their 2025 roster, Steve Sarkisian’s Texas Longhorns are at No.1 with 25 total commitments. But even then, being a perfectionist, the head coach kept on craving more. In the light of Kirk Bohls’ report, Sarkisian shared, “It is what it is. Hey, we’re fortunate, don’t get me wrong. We’ve got great support… I wish I had another $15 million or so. I might have a little better roster.” Even if the NIL inner workings stay hidden, Texas fans can’t help but revel in their heroes leading the charge off the field.