Football players at Texas Tech — 100 of them — can look forward to receiving a $25,000 contract for their name, image and likeness (NIL) rights this season.
The Matador Club, a nonprofit collective set up by donors to the university, has announced plans to begin the $2.5 million program of payments to players — all 85 who are under scholarship and 15 walk-ons — starting monthly. The first checks are to go out in the first week of August.
Cody Campbell, a member of the Matador Club’s board of directors, told the Lubbock Avalanche-Journal that the players are expected to perform charitable work and community service in and around Lubbock, Texas. The contracts will be renewable annually.
Texas law prohibits schools from taking part in NIL deals, so they must come from outside organizations.
Campbell, a former Red Raiders offensive lineman, noted that while “it’s going to become known that Texas Tech has a good NIL program that’ll be appealing to recruits,” there will be no guarantees of compensation.
“We’re not going to make any promises on the front end. We’re not going to break any rules,” Campbell said.
