Oklahoma State-Texas Big 12 Championship Game features NIL success stories

Oklahoma State and Texas battle Saturday in the Big 12 Championship Game at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, as the top two teams in the conference. But the matchup also features players and collectives who are among the best in the country when it comes to NIL success stories.

The Texas One Fund generated national headlines when it launched a year ago after a merger of five separate UT-focused collectives. Since the launch, Texas One has developed into one of the most ambitious collectives in the country with support across all Longhorn sports. Yet, Texas One has also played a huge role in supporting the UT football program, facilitating numerous NIL deals with key players.

While it hasn’t grabbed some of the same national headlines as Texas One, those in the NIL space know Pokes With a Purpose has played an instrumental role in transfer portal success and player retention at Oklahoma State.

Pokes With a Purpose recently facilitated a deal that partnered Cowboy basketball players with a local Cadillac dealership. Plus, during the home stretch of the football season, the collective has been making a major push on social media to do whatever it takes to raise funds to support players, especially superstar running back Ollie Gordon.

But there’s also a handful of players at UT and OSU that have done well with NIL on their own. Here’s a look at five Longhorn and Cowboy players who are NIL success stories.

Texas QB Arch Manning

On3 NIL Valuation: $2.8 million
Social media followers: 283,000

Longhorn freshman quarterback Arch Manning is part of football royalty. Plus, he was ranked as nation’s No. 1 recruit in the 2023 recruiting class, so it’s no surprise he has a massive NIL brand.

Some would assume that Manning would be quick to capitalize off of that, but he’s handling NIL partnerships with a savvy approach. He’s only inked one NIL deal – a multi-year partnership with Panini. As part of the deal, he auctioned off an autographed card and donated more than $100,000 to Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Texas.

Manning is just getting started in building his NIL brand. He has more than 283,000 social media followers and also has the option to partner with his superstar uncles – Peyton and Eli –in NIL ventures down the road.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers

On3 NIL Valuation: $1.3 million
Social media followers: 181,000

In many ways, Longhorns quarterback Quinn Ewers was one of the first faces of the NIL Era. Ewers turned heads when he left high school early because of legislation prohibiting Texas high schoolers from participating in NIL. He ended up at Ohio State where he could engage in NIL activities in August 2021. Fast forward to December 2023, Ewers is now the star quarterback for the Longhorns and a NIL success story – with deals from Aston Martin Dallas, Beats by Dre, C4 Energy, HEYDUDE Shoes, 7-Eleven and many more companies on his resume. Ewers is the perfect example of balancing a NIL brand with achievement on the football field and a model quarterbacks of the future can follow.

Texas OL Kelvin Banks

On3 NIL Valuation: $802,000
Social media followers: 19,700

Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks arrived on the Forty Acres as one of the most coveted offensive tackle prospects in the country. Banks was also one of the best line prospects to come out of Houston in recent years, so he immediately was a household name set up for success with the Longhorn fan base. He’s used his partnership with Texas One to promote a long list of Austin and Lone Star State companies that do good in the community, such as Our Shared Kitchen, the Austin Public Library, SAFE Austin Afterschool Care. He’s also done a few deals on his own with Arnold & Itkin LLP, Athletic Brewing Company and Vanguard Volkswagen.

Oklahoma State RB Ollie Gordon

On3 NIL Valuation: $644,000
Social media followers: 12,400

Ollie Gordon is one of the most explosive weapons in college football. After playing every game as a true freshman last season for Oklahoma State, Gordon was named the Big 12’s Offensive Player of the Year in 2023. He rushed for 1,471 yards and 18 touchdowns in Big 12 play alone.

With his success this season, Pokes With a Purpose has made a concentrated effort to push for more NIL opportunities for Gordon. The collective released “Run Ollie Run” T-shirts in October. Plus, it has made a coordinated effort on social media to engage Cowboy fans to donate funds directly to keep him happy in Stillwater.

While there’s been zero indication that Gordon – a native of Fort Worth, Texas – could be looking to leave Oklahoma State, the Stillwater News Press posted a story in October about how the “Ollie Gordon sweepstakes” has already started. The story broke down which schools might be able to lure him away in the transfer portal through NIL deals.  

Oklahoma State LB Collin Oliver

On3 NIL Valuation: $315,000
Social media followers: 5,000

Oklahoma State linebacker Collin Oliver took home first-team All-Big 12 honors this season for the third consecutive season. Entering Saturday, Oliver has 68 tackles, 14.5 tackles for a loss, six sacks and five pass breakups. His success over the years, along with his status as a homegrown state player from Edmond (Oklahoma) Santa Fe, made him an easy player for local businesses to partner with. One of his biggest deals was with Wilson Motor Company, but he also recently appeared in a commercial for the Discover card.