Texas Tech University System Chancellor Brandon Creighton says the era of name, image and likeness in college sports is bringing new money, new expectations and new risks but leaving universities little choice but to keep up.
Creighton said recently on NBC5’s Lone Star Politics that the dramatic rise of donor-driven NIL programs, including Texas Tech’s own surge backed by oil billionaire Cody Campbell, reflects a rapidly evolving mix of tradition, legality and competitive pressure.
Texas Senate from District 4 Senator Brandon Creighton during a general meeting as part of the 2022 Republican Party of Texas State Convention at the George R. Brown Convention Center in Houston, Texas on Friday, June 17, 2022.
Lola Gomez / Staff Photographer
But Creighton cautioned against tying big checks too directly to wins. He pointed to LSU as an example, saying programs with high NIL valuations don’t always produce high on-field results.
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Still, Creighton acknowledged that schools with deep-pocketed boosters now have a clear advantage, and that even large Division I programs are openly worrying.
“We’re in the wild west,” he said. “NIL is evolving, and we have to adapt.”
Lone Star Politics airs at 8:30 a.m. Sundays, hosted by NBC5’s political reporter Phil Prazan and The Dallas Morning News political reporter Gromer