Texas A&M has been active in name, image and likeness deals since the rule change on July 1, 2021, and while the athletes overall pulled in $4 million, the football team received more than $3 million.

According to university-tracked information during the first academic year obtained by The Eagle through the Texas Open Records Act, football players earned $3,367,517.52 over that stretch.

By comparison, Texas’ athletes earned more than $2,039,180 through the majority of the 2021-22 academic year, according to a report by the Austin American-Statesman. The Longhorn football team earned $879,447, with the largest single deal worth $60,000, according to the report.

According to Texas law, collegiate student-athletes in Texas must provide contract documentation of every NIL deal to their university athletics compliance office. The university can’t participate in NIL deals, according to state law, the school can review contracts to make sure the terms fall under the law’s guidelines.

Texas Senator Royce West was a sponsor of legislation to help level the financial playing field between the athletes and business college sports have created.

“The reality is that how many NCAA infractions have taken place because a kid needed extra resources in order to make ends meet?” West told The Eagle in June. “How many times has the issue of the NCAA profiting billions of dollars by these student-athletes end up with nothing in return [for the athletes]? Most people say, well, they got a college education. That is in part true, but a lot of others have ended up with … injuries that many don’t come back from as it relates to being physically fit. Some don’t end up graduating from college. We know that there is exploitation going on. And so from that vantage point, I wanted to make certain that young people had the opportunity to participate for the revenue sharing that is taking place in college athletics.”