Texas Collective Makes NIL History With New Partnership

Texas One Fund becomes first NIL collective to collaborate with Passes content creator platform

Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports

Everything is bigger in Texas, including the NIL partnerships.

A month after signing LSU National Championship-winning gymnast and NIL trailblazer Livvy Dunne to a "multi-million dollar deal" as their first student-athlete partner, leading content creator platform Passes is expanding their college presence in a major way.

Texas' official NIL collective - Texas One Fund - announced they are collaborating with Passes to onboard 40 of the top Longhorn male and female student-athletes to the platform.

A new avenue for UT, participating Longhorns will earn compensation while showcasing behind-the-scenes content, hosting Q&A's and connecting deeper with the passionate Texas fan base.

Negotiated by WME Sports, this marks the first time an NIL collective is joining the content creator platform.

Texas athletes who will be featured on Passes include members of football, men's and women's basketball, baseball, softball and volleyball teams.

"This is kind of a new threshold of social media paid content, where fans can get that behind-the-scenes exclusive, look from their favorite athlete," shared Patrick "Wheels" Smith, President of Texas One Fund. "A fly on the wall coverage of what they're thinking during training or what they're thinking for upcoming games - all that good stuff that fans want to know and get that inside look that's kind of created by the athlete for them that can be disseminated in a private setting."

Through the Passes platform, Longhorn athletes can offer fans the chance to purchase access to exclusive content and experiences, including tips, live streaming, one-on-one fan calls and unlockable posts or direct messages.

Passes has stringent community and content guidelines, creating a safe environment for talent and users.

"In partnership with the Texas One Fund, Passes is revolutionizing the landscape of NIL monetization for University of Texas athletes," Passes CEO and Founder Lucy Guo said. "Through innovative tools and exclusive access, we're empowering athletes to forge deeper connections with their fans. Beyond the world of sports, this collaboration underscores our commitment to enabling creators across diverse fields to thrive in the digital landscape."

After a successful launch with Dunne, Passes is leveling up their NIL reach to help more athlete creators diversify their revenue streams, scale their own businesses, connect with fans on a deeper level and empower them to build their personal brands.

"I cannot wait to share an in-depth look into my senior season at UT through The Texas One Fund's partnership with Passes," basketball star Rori Harmon said. "Fans will get unbelievable access into how I prepare on the court, and my personal interests off the court."

According to Passes, they believe sports is a microcosm of society and this partnership exemplifies their dedication to supporting all creators across all areas of life.

"Passes is going to offer my fans a behind-the-scenes look into my entire career at UT," said incoming freshman football player Aaron Butler. "I cannot wait for the Texas community to watch my growth as a player on the field, and growth as a person off the field."

Passes' "secret sauce" of sorts is their innovative direct message system that empowers creators to optimize engagement strategies by sorting messages based on various metrics, ensuring maximum impact and efficiency.

Content creators on Passes are experiencing unprecedented revenue growth, with the brand giving an example of a creator jumping from earning $5,000 per month on Instagram to $300,000 per month on Passes. Smith and the Texas One Fund expect the participating Longhorn athletes to experience revenue growth of their own, while also allowing them to focus on their studies and athletic responsibilities.

"Everything we do is to try to enhance the lives of the student-athletes and then not be taxing on them, but also provide them as many opportunities as we can because NIL is a space of almost pure capitalism at this point," added Smith. "We want to take full advantage and get our student-athletes as many deals as they want or feel comfortable doing."