Longhorns Country

Longhorns Isaiah Bond, Michael Taaffe Sign NIL Deals with Lamborghini

Bond and Taaffe join a prestigious group of Longhorns partnering with the de

Isa Almeida

Texas White team wide receiver Isaiah Bond (7) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2024.
Texas White team wide receiver Isaiah Bond (7) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the fourth quarter of the Longhorns' spring Orange and White game at Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, Texas, April 20, 2024. / Sara Diggins/American-Statesman / USA TODAY NETWORK
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Texas football's Isaiah Bond and Michael Taaffee elevated their NIL game.

Lamborghini Austin announced on Thursday the two players were selected as the dealership's 2024 NIL partners. The duo was selected due to their “strong academic achievements, community leadership and success on the field.”

Bond and Taaffe had very different starts to their college football careers.

Bond was a four-star recruit from Georgia who played wide receiver for Alabama for two seasons, earning a spot in the All-SEC second team, after saving Alabama's season with a game-winning catch against Auburn in the Iron Bowl. Taaffe in the other hand, came into the Texas program as a walk-on from Westlake High School and earned an honorable mention spot in the All-Big 12 team in 2023.

“The Lamborghini Austin Promotional Partner Program rewards student-athletes for success in the classroom, contributions to their community and performance in sports,” Bruce Knox, managing partner of Lamborghini Austin, said in a release. “Our committee selected two outstanding student-athletes who took a unique path on their University of Texas journey, who achieved success in the classroom as well as on the field, and who will join forces to lead the Longhorns in their first year of competition in the SEC.”

Bond and Taaffe join a list of prominent Texas stars who had previously been selected for the partnership, including Bijan Robinson, Jordan Whittington and Jake Majors. Lamborghini's have also been key for Steve Sarkisian's recruiting visitors since he took over the program in 2021.

Bond currently sits at No. 75 in On3's NIL 100, with a valuation of $643,000.

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Isa Almeida
ISA ALMEIDA

Isa Almeida is a writer covering the Texas Longhorns for SI/Fan Nation, having joined the team on June 1, 2024. Raised in Southeast Brazil, Isa is now a third-year Journalism student at the University of Texas at Austin. Fluent in both English and Portuguese, Isa brings a diverse background and a wealth of knowledge to her writing. In addition to her work with SI/Fan Nation, Isa also covers the soccer and women's basketball beats for The Daily Texan. Her journalism journey is firmly rooted in her academic pursuits and her passion for sports.

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