Steve Sarkisian addresses newfound NIL programs linked to Texas

When it comes to groundbreaking NIL programs, Steve Sarkisian and Texas are at the forefront. Thanks to a new group labeled the Clark Field Collective, athletes for the Longhorns will have unprecedented opportunities in the new era of college sports.

The Longhorns coach said Wednesday that he is 100% on board.

“NIL is real,” he said. “I don’t think at this point in the game, anybody is surprised by what’s going on to some capacity. If it’s not these entities, ultimately its another entity that’s going to give players an opportunity to profit off of their name, image and likeness. For these two entities to form and allow our players to profit off of that in a good cause, I’m all for it.”

Texas donors have come together to raise $10 million for Clark Field Collective, all of which will go toward facilitating NIL opportunities for athletes. Nick Shuley, a sports and music marketer who has worked with large events like Austin City Limits and Lollapalooza, will serve as CEO of the collective.

Former Longhorns stars TJ Ford and Kenny Vaccaro are among the notable names involved. To Sarkisian, given the effort his players put into the program, it is well-deserved.

“I said before, our players put in a lot of time and work,” the coach said. “For a long time, I think people thought players should be paid for their name, image and likeness. Now, here’s the opportunity to do so. We’re in a capacity at the University of Texas to where there’s more opportunities available to our players. And if it doesn’t take away from their ability to perform on the football field and classroom, I’m all for it. These opportunities have presented themselves and some of our guys are taking advantage of it.”

Following his first season in Austin, Sarkisian still has a lot of work to do to reach program expectations. Texas finished just 5-7, failing to make a bowl game for the first time in the past five seasons.

He certainly got off to a great start on the recruiting trail, earning the No. 5 class in 2022 according to On3 Consensus, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. Offensive tackle Kelvin Banks highlights the class as the lone five-star.

The Clark Field Collective and other NIL programs like it will certainly only help Steve Sarkisian as he attempts to attract the nation’s best to Austin.