Brooks & Dunn, Ryan Bingham to perform at benefit for Texas One Fund NIL collective

Texas fans will be dancing to “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” to raise NIL dollars this May.

The Longhorn-driven NIL collective Texas One Fund will hold a benefit at Darrell K. Royal on Saturday, May 18. The country music duo Brooks & Dunn will be performing, along with Ryan Bingham with The Texas Gentlemen.

It’s a creative way to raise NIL dollars. Fans will have the chance to party at DKR with live music while celebrating the Longhorns. It’s a smart way to deliver a return on investment, too. According to a social media post from the Texas One Fund, space is still available for donors to join.

The concert, which has been dubbed “A Night For Texas,” is being organized by the Austin event management company C3 Presents. Fittingly, Tito’s Vodka has signed on as the title sponsor. The handmade vodka is produced in Austin.

This won’t be a first-of-its-kind event. Country music star Eric Church held a concert this past August to raise NIL funds for North Carolina athletes through the collective Heels4Life. Georgia Southern alums and country music stars Luke Bryan and Cole Swindell also endorsed the Eagle Nation Collective in July.

Neither Brooks & Dunn or Ryan Bingham, who stars in the television show “Yellowstone,” attended the University of Texas. But with so much star appeal, the Texas One Fund, the official NIL collective of Texas athletics, is sure to draw a major crowd.

Allowing top-level boosters to attend a country concert in exchange for raising NIL dollars is a smart way to combat donor fatigue, too. Collectives are responsible for payrolls for top revenue-producing sports like football and men’s basketball. Creating innovative ways to draw fan interest is necessary.

Texas One Fund leading NIL collective in space

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.

If any questions were remaining about viability, look at the collectives that came together to form the Texas One Fund. Clark Field Collective announced an initial commitment of $10 million at its launch. Horns with Heart generated headlines with its plan to pay each offensive lineman $50,000 a year. Everyone is in unison in Austin, including the donors. 

The top-funded football collectives aim to have a payroll of more than $10 million for an 85-scholarship roster. Texas is viewed as a leader in the NIL collective world, easily pushing eight-figures.

“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.