When the NCAA introduced the NIL (name, image, and likeness) regulations, student-athletes suddenly had a massive opportunity to make big money outside of their collegiate contracts. From Texas’s football star Arch Manning to BYU’s hooper AJ Dybansta, many NCAA stars have successfully used the NIL to their benefit in impressive ways. However, things seem to have been a little too good for the Texas A&M volleyball stars and their comrades. But fans aren’t too happy.

Texas A&M boasts some of the top NCAA sporting destinations in the country. The college’s volleyball, football, and several other programs are often at the top of the list of choice for any aspiring stars in the US and beyond. Naturally, goes without saying, such high demand also helps to rake in tens of thousands of dollars to the school through the NIL channels. And yet, probably no one was prepared for the data that has come up through an open records request.

The Eagle‘s Alex Miller shared some truly mindboggling stats via a post on X on July 21. “Texas A&M student-athletes received a combined $51.4 million in NIL compensation from July 1, 2024, to June 30, 2025, according to figures received through open records,” Miller notes in his social media post how the school’s volleyball and other programs have generated quite a fortune over the one-year period.

However, a certain aspect of this amount wouldn’t go without raising a few eyebrows. As per Miller’s post, $49.2 million of the total NIL revenue of Texas A&M went to men’s sports, while women’s sports received only the remaining $2.2 million. This was the fourth year that Texas A&M was able to provide its student-athletes with NIL compensation. However, the authorities of the school declined to provide information as to how the funds were allocated to different sports like volleyball, football, or basketball.

However, it wouldn’t be too far-fetched to assume that most of the NIL compensation was generated via men’s basketball and football, two of the most popular and revenue-making collegiate sports across the US. This 2024-25 NIL financial data shows a massive jump from the previous year for Texas A&M. In 2023-24, men’s sports at the college received $18.9 million, while women’s sports generated $528,184.86.

In 2022-23, the combined revenue was only $6.1 million. Quite understandably, looking at this year’s numbers, some Texas A&M alums believe they missed out on making big money. “I tell people this all the time, and they asked me this, I really feel like I would have taken a pay cut had I gone to the NFL,” said Johnny Manziel, who won the Heisman Trophy in his freshman year, about how his rookie NFL contract looks like a pay cut compared to what he could have made had he stayed at Texas A&M for longer.

But while the generous numbers are obviously good enough to make the folks over at the Texas campus smile, the fans aren’t really happy with the distribution.

Fans tear through Texas A&M’s NIL money

The NIL’s pay gap between men’s and women’s sports has long been a point of contention. Popular collegiate stars like Olivia Dunne said last year that the NIL often overlooks women’s sports in general. Despite being one of the biggest collegiate athletes, the LSU queen claimed she couldn’t avail herself of NIL benefits as much as her male counterparts. Recalling that sordid affair, one fan slammed Texas A&M, “This needs to stop.”

If things weren’t bad enough, earlier this year, the NCAA announced further changes to its NIL regulations. The proposed changes could also restrict how many athletes can be on the roster of the schools, which is already creating quite a rift among fans and athlete-students alike. Under the circumstances, Texas A&M’s revelation only adds to the concerns.

“This is not sustainable,” commented one fan who believes that, in light of the new regulatory changes, a more viable payout plan should be adopted to make sure more student-athletes can be given a position on the roster. However, another fan thinks women’s sports should have made more money, given how well the Texas A&M female athletes perform. “Volleyball: Sweet 16 Softball: #1 overall seed Women’s tennis: National runner-up T&F: 3rd place, outdoor nationals All for a COMBINED $2.2M,” the fan was shocked.

For any college, giving back to its community is a big part of its operations. The NCAA, too, undertakes various charity programs to ensure the community progresses along with the student-athletes’ success. Naturally, with Texas A&M’s NIL compensation coming to the fore, many fans thought the school should have been more proactive in community development. “Is this what we are? What we glorify? How many hungry kids fed? How many educated? I’m all for you making *bad* decisions with your money, it’s a free country. But we should be leery of things so fleeting,” grumbled one such fan.

However, for another fan, the amount was flabbergasting, considering how the college isn’t exactly the best out there in many sports. On Monday, the Aggies’ 2025 football season also received a stark prediction by CBS Sports, where it was predicted that Texas A&M might finish the upcoming season unranked. Obviously, that and the NIL compensation money didn’t correlate. “That’s a lot of money for nothing,” sneered one fan.

What did you feel looking at the massive difference in the pay between Texas A&M’s men’s and women’s sports? Tell us below!