Dear Aggies,
What a fantastic start it’s been to the 2025-26 athletic year, highlighted by our 3rd-ranked, 7-0 Fightin’ Texas Aggie football team.
As Coach Mike Elko and our team stay locked in on each week’s challenge, my focus is on the future and how we can continue building the foundation that keeps every Aggie program competing for championships.
Over the past few months, following changes stemming from the House settlement, our staff has been hard at work developing a strategic plan to create a true competitive advantage for Texas A&M.
Right now, every athletics department across the country that opted into the House settlement is permitted to share up to $20.5 million each year directly with student-athletes across all athletic teams. All of those departments, including ours at Texas A&M, have made strategic decisions about how to allocate those dollars across programs.
Texas A&M has made the institutional decision to fund the entirety of what is allowed within the House settlement guidelines, including funding 154 new full scholarships, in addition to direct student-athlete NIL payments. But in this new landscape, that alone won’t be enough to compete at the highest level. That’s why we need the power of the 12th Man to help ensure Texas A&M remains the most attractive destination in the country for top student-athletes.
In addition to the $20.5 million in institutional support, all student-athletes have the opportunity to earn third-party NIL compensation—money earned through business deals with companies and brands.
This is where Texas A&M holds a distinct advantage through the unmatched size, loyalty, and influence of our former students, Aggie network, and fan base.
Texas A&M has a tremendous opportunity to help facilitate and generate third-party NIL opportunities for our student-athletes, creating competitive compensation that ensures top-tier talent across our rosters.