When a federal judge ruled in 2021 that college athletes could profit from their name, image, and likeness, college sports changed forever.
In 2025, college football players earn staggering amounts, such as Texas quarterback Arch Manning, who is projected to make over $6 million this year. A former Texas defensive lineman believes that in his day in Austin, the Longhorns wouldn’t have been able to afford his entire team if NIL deals had existed.
Texas Legend Says Longhorns Couldn’t Afford His Team in Today’s NIL Era
Money in today’s college football is no joke. According to Fox Sports, Arch Manning has the highest NIL valuation of any college athlete at $6.8 million, and seven other college quarterbacks rank in the top ten across all college athletics.
Times have clearly changed since Brian Orakpo played defensive line for the Longhorns from 2004 to 2008, back when players couldn’t be paid. Orakpo appeared on the “3rd and Longhorn” podcast, where he explained that Texas likely wouldn’t have been able to afford his entire team if NIL deals existed during his playing days.
“Shoutout to this era, to these kids, man, because we didn’t have it, we didn’t have it at all,” Orakpo said. “Honestly, my era, our time, I talked to [Texas’s AD] the other day, and they wouldn’t be able to afford us at that time, I’m being honest with you.”
Orakpo isn’t wrong, as he played for the Longhorns’ 2005 national championship team, which had a roster loaded with talent. If NIL had existed in 2005, Texas would have had to pay top dollar for players like Vince Young, one of the best players in the country, Jamaal Charles, the team’s lead running back, a stacked defense, and an elite offensive line.
The final price tag on that 2005 Longhorns roster would likely have exceeded $25 million, roughly the current cap that college athletic departments can spend on all athletes across all sports under the revenue-sharing era.
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It’s wild to think about how much money would have been needed for other pre-NIL teams loaded with talent, like the 2019 LSU Tigers or the 2001 Miami Hurricanes.
Orakpo’s point also highlights why it’s so difficult for programs to maintain top talent. If a school is willing to pay one player top dollar, it often can’t match the offers for other elite players because of the limited funds available for the entire roster. Times have undoubtedly changed, and Manning’s whopping $6.8 million valuation highlights that.
Manning and his Longhorns will put that massive NIL valuation to the test on August 30 when Texas opens the season against the defending national champion Ohio State Buckeyes in Columbus. The game will kick off at noon ET on Fox.
