New NIL program will pay each Texas offensive lineman $50,000 a year

Horns with Heart, a nonprofit charity organization, will provide every scholarship offensive lineman at Texas with $50,000 annually as part of a new NIL program, the latest in a series of launches by Longhorns supporters that likely will spur a new type of arms race in college sports.

The program, appropriately named The Pancake Factory, will be the first of its kind: It will support a football position group for players to participate in charitable endeavors. It will begin August 1, 2022, with a total of $800,000 annually earmarked for the offensive line sponsorship.

Five months into the NIL era, boosters at most schools still are trying to navigate the patchwork of state and university regulations to figure out how they can financially support athletes. But a wide swath of deep-pocketed Texas fans are way ahead of the game, pooling their resources and ensuring that Longhorns supporters are establishing a breakneck pace on the NIL front.

“It is us and Oregon, and that should be how it is,” Rob Blair, one of six co-founders of Horns with Heart, told On3. “Getting out at the forefront of (NIL) is the biggest thing for us — making sure Texas is not getting left behind. Regardless of the product on the field, our support for the University of Texas goes well beyond wins and losses.”

Rather than getting left behind, supporters of Texas are ensuring that its athletes are lapping much of the field. Last week, a prominent group of Texas supporters and alums and a veteran sports marketer announced the Clark Field Collective, with an initial pledge of $10 million to be used toward compensating Longhorns athletes across all sports. And in September, Blair was one of two Texas supporters who announced the “Burnt Ends” program, which compensates every Texas tight end with four-figure monthly stipends in the nation’s first fully crowdsourced NIL program. 

The Pancake Factory undoubtedly will serve as a valuable recruiting advantage, with offensive line recruits seeing that their starting annual NIL compensation in Austin will be $50,000 annually. That’s merely the starting figure; other NIL deals for linemen certainly are possible. But Blair made clear that creating a recruiting advantage was not the driving force behind this program, even though it is a likely positive consequence. 

“It could be, but that’s definitely not our intention,” Blair said. “The $50,000 number sounds big, it sounds glorious. And will it be put in front of some recruits? I guess, but that’s not for us to decide. … The offensive line is not where we are going to stop with Horns with Heart. Eventually, our plan is to make this an overarching, broad program not just for Texas football but for Texas sports in general, women sports included. We want to create something lasting and annual.”

Horns with Heart, a nonprofit 501c3, was created to empower Texas athletes to make positive impacts on their communities and charities that are close to their hearts while utilizing NIL. It was intended to benefit players, charitable causes and the university at the same time. The players will be compensated for using their NIL to make charitable appearances and for bringing awareness to worthy causes. Blair said any impact on the football team is an added benefit. 

Horns with Heart was founded by six Texas alums and supporters. The group includes individuals from a variety of diverse professional backgrounds, including finance, technology and the broader entrepreneurship space. All founders live in Texas, either in the Austin or Houston areas.

All of the funds for The Pancake Factory will come from donors. Blair said the Clark Field Collective already has made a “gracious donation.” Blair said they will work fairly closely with the collective but not in an official partnership capacity. Horns with Heart will be partnering with Austin charities.

Blair said they chose to start with the offensive line unit for a couple of reasons, including that it is one of the most important position groups. What’s more, it’s also typically the largest unit. Looking to make a profound impact, the bigger the group the better. Some 14 to 16 offensive linemen are expected to take part in the program. 

Blair believes this is a way to empower athletes, each with unique backgrounds and stories, to support charitable causes that are important to them personally. 

“Being able to put their time and their face and their names to good use is huge — being able to take these new rules and put it towards something a little more noble than just a media appearance,” Blair said.