After signing LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne to a multi-million dollar NIL deal last month, Passes is making a major investment in the Texas market.
The platform where creators and athletes create relationships with fans has signed a partnership with the Texas One Fund, the official NIL collective of Texas athletics. The deal is a first of its kind and the first time Passes has inked an agreement with an NIL collective.
As part of the agreement between the Texas One Fund and Passes, 40 Texas athletes will join the platform, having the opportunity to build a brand and showcase content. Athletes will offer fans exclusive content and experiences, including behind-the-scenes livestreams which will give fans a glimpse of her life as a Division I athlete. Passes’ software will allow fans access to one-on-one Q+A calls.
Full terms of the NIL deal were not released, however, the Texas One Fund will assist athletes in shooting content for fans. Passes plans to continue to ramp up its involvement in the college athletics space.
“We are tremendously excited to have the opportunity to give our fans access to our athletes on a whole new level,” Texas One Fund president Patrick “Wheels” Smith said. “This behind the scenes content will give Longhorn fans a unique look at the day in the life of a student-athlete at Texas.”
Trio of Longhorn football players included in NIL campaign
Included in the deal are Texas wide receivers Johntay Cook and Aaron Butler and safety Andrew Mukuba. Women’s basketball star Rori Harmon is also participating, along with volleyball’s Madisen Skinner.
“As an incoming transfer, the opportunity to join Passes was very exciting because it will provide Longhorn fans special access into how hard I train for game days,” Mukuba said.
Passes plans to invest in the NIL space, creating an opportunity for athletes to use the platform to create connections with fans. An all-in-one monetization platform, creators using the platform include the musician Kygo and Anna DeGuzman, the runner-up to America’s Got Talent and NBA Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal.
“College athletes have only recently gained the opportunity to monetize their NIL, and Passes wanted to get involved to help athletes diversify their revenue streams, scale their businesses, connect with fans on a deeper level, and empower them to build their own brands,” the company said in a release.
Texas One Fund continuing to create new revenue streams
The collective’s decision to partner with Passes is the latest outside-the-box move. The Texas One Fund became the second NIL entity to partner with WME, bringing in an Austin-based sales team to work hand-in-hand with the collection to support Longhorns athletes in December.
And most recently, Nicholas Air joined the Texas One Fund as its private aviation partner. Five separate NIL entities focused on Longhorn athletics came together to form the Texas One Fund in November 2022. After jousting for funding, all efforts were consolidated under one umbrella.
“It goes without saying, Texas has made some really strategic moves recently that have put them in a really good spot,” an SEC operator previously told On3.
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