Unique NIL model gives Texas Longhorns athletes a great deal: an eye on the future | Bohls

Three decades ago Bertrand and Roy Sosa came to Austin from Monterrey, Mexico, along with their mother in 1986 so she could pursue a career as a doctor in the States.

Middle schoolers at the time, they completed high school and enrolled at the University of Texas, where Bertrand studied marketing and Roy graduated pre-med with a degree in Latin American studies.

“Austin was just a tiny town then,” Bertrand said.

No more.

And the Sosa brothers had a very big vision of their own.

They might not have quite envisioned what their lives would become as hugely successful business entrepreneurs at the highest level. What originated as an idea in their cramped, one-bedroom apartment with $75 in seed money emerged in 1999 as the Netspend fintech giant that they eventually sold for $1.3 billion.

Then they bought it back just a year ago.

And now they’re giving back. In spades.

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In the past nine months, the pair came up with an innovative, far-reaching plan to enter the transformative field of name, image and likeness to put some bucks in athletes’ pockets and make a profound impact on young people’s lives and futures. They co-founded Ouro, a global financial technology company created when Rêv and Netspend joined to develop financial services, and they just launched an NIL enterprise that could be an excellent model for other companies and universities.

"All in" could be their motto.

A deal for all Longhorns, not just a few

Ouro partnered with UT and is paying Longhorns student-athletes not unsubstantial money to give them a financial stake in their future and also teach them how better to manage their money and resources with a multiyear commitment that Bertrand Sosa said will reach “into the millions.”

And not just some Longhorns athletes.

Every one of them.

Ouro has promised all of them, at minimum, an ongoing $100-a-month stipend in exchange for Texas athletes’ agreement to listen to one-hour educational podcasts on financial responsibility and post at least one comment on a social media platform. A freshman conceivably could take advantage for all four or five years he’s on campus.

“That’s the plan. And every single sport has access,” Bertrand said. “Texas loves that this is all-inclusive. It's about everybody having access to it. I don't care if you're the the third string, a diver or a golfer or you're a freshman. You're on equal access with the quarterback or running back or the star basketball player. We are going to continue to peel the onion of our best impact in the best way that we can.”

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'A fantastic opportunity' for Texas athletes

Again, not some Texas athletes. All 550 of them. Everyone from star quarterback Quinn Ewers to the backup rower on Boat 3. Every sport. All 21 of them. Heck, even the spirit squads can take advantage of this opportunity. Come on down, pom squad. Nobody gets left out.

"We're creating a model to give every student-athlete financial literacy that will last a lifetime," Texas athletic director Chris Del Conte said. "I never knew what compound interest was. That wasn't part of my vocabulary. These kids can learn about the stock market, how they can build a credit score, how do loans work."

Del Conte was hardly financially stable when he got out of college at UC-Santa Barbara and earned a master's degree from Washington State. He built up $57,000 in debt, and "it took me 17 years to pay off Sallie Mae. Nine percent interest. But it paid off."

Some in this NIL initiative who are chosen as lead ambassadors to galvanize support among their specific UT sports teams and to be more proactive can make an additional $6,000 a year, with incentives to earn even more. Ouro also hopes to hire up to 30 athletes to take part in its summer internship program. More than 40% of the football team has signed up.

“I wish this had been around when I was a freshman,” said EmJ Cox, a junior defender on Texas’ Big 12 champion soccer team and one of 26 lead ambassadors. “I would have loved it. This is a fantastic opportunity.”

She was already getting a little NIL money, but not as much as her boyfriend, Longhorns baseball pitcher Tanner Witt. But as freshman golfer Ben DeLaRosa put it Friday, “It’s pretty much you eat what you kill.”

Translated, football and basketball players are always going to get the lion's share of NIL money. But this all-inclusive model could be a template for others across college sports.

Hoping to continue to grow with support

There's nothing bigger in college sports now than NIL and the transfer portal, and Texas has tapped into a desire to provide mentoring as much as money. Patrick "Wheels" Smith, the president of the Texas One Fund, said Ouro represents Texas' goals exactly as "we want to find creative ways to lessen the burden for these athletes and partner with companies who can help change lives."

To that end, the school is throwing a big party on the field at Royal-Memorial Stadium on May 18, a private event for $2,500 a person that includes a concert featuring Brooks & Dunn and Ryan Bingham as well as a silent and live auction. Smith has no idea how much money the event will raise but hopes for 2,000 people and said Texas One Fund includes donors "in the thousands" who are interested in helping athletes' futures as well as winning football games. All Longhorn coaches and athletes are invited to come and mingle and network.

Cox quickly championed Ouro's cause and helped sign up the entire soccer team. The national champion volleyball team did likewise with 100% participation. So far 188 female and 124 male athletes have enrolled.

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“I love the idea,” said DeLaRosa, a lead ambassador for men’s golf. “I think it’s cool to see if other companies can do this, and it’s cool to see UT as a launching program. It’s amazing that Quinn Ewers and me have the same opportunity to make the same amount of money.”

Every little bit helps in today's world of NIL, portal

DeLaRosa could be the poster boy for Ouro. He’s got the bloodlines with parents and three siblings as UT grads — his dad, Walter, was a second baseman on Texas' 1982 baseball team — and he’s got a keen interest in entrepreneurship. As a golfer on partial scholarship, he’s always scouring for ways to stretch his dollars. He started several businesses already, purchasing three vending machines and selling online golf clubs and pickleball equipment.

No one’s getting rich off these deals, but it’s a nice little side gig. And if you learn something about how to handle your finances, how to invest, how to differentiate between stocks and bonds, how to balance a budget, how to set aside dough for your taxes, that’s a good thing.

Heck, a few might even learn what a checkbook is. Or was. That’s kind of the financial equivalent of a pay phone booth.

But the benefits underlie the importance the Sosas attach to this venture, which began with a soft launch in April that drew more than 400 Longhorns athletes to an introductory meeting at the north end zone room. Actually it was less an IPO-style session and more a business meeting/rally full of fanfare with a DJ playing pop music to appetizers such as chips and queso, vegan minitacos and corn fritters.

Some 366 signed up for the deal on the spot. Pending the proper paperwork and completion of their agreement, more are expected to come aboard. Some have already enrolled and gotten paid. Sosa said he expects to sign up more than 400.

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“At first it sounded too good to be true,” Cox said. “But you could absolutely feel the buzz.”

Looking to the future on a different playing field

What’s the catch?

The Sosas will tell you there is none. It’s as simple as it sounds, but also as significant. Yes, Ouro isn’t a nonprofit. And the company will eventually recoup its investment in transaction fees at some point, but they insist that wasn’t the main reason they started this business.

“Obviously there's a brand development aspect of it,” Bertrand said. “I would be lying to you if I told you that this is just completely altruistic.”

These Texas students could well become Ouro customers for a long time in the future as the company rolls out different financial services and products.

Ouro is probably already in for well over $200,000 of payments, which will show up on the athletes’ X World Wallet cards — very slick, black metal cards with the trademark X on it — that work the same as pre-loaded gift cards. They are also global cards, allowing Texas’ international athletes to use them without fees.

We know. The Sosas are in the business of making money. Their website explains that the name Ouro draws inspiration and meaning from the Greek word “ouroboros,” an ancient symbol depicting a closed circle with a dragon consuming its own tail. In other words, a slogan the SEC should adopt.

Ouro is deep into the sports and entertainment world and has reached sponsorship deals with franchises such as Austin FC as a founding sponsor, the Miami Heat, the San Antonio Spurs, the Texas Rangers and MLS’ League Cup, and just last week it pulled off “a massive deal” with Real Madrid, which is Ouro's version of Steve Sarkisian signing Arch Manning.

But the two brothers' thoughts kept coming back to Austin, where it all started and where they still live.

“When Roy and I looked at how things are progressing, it just became clear that we have in our own backyard a very special institution,” Bertrand Sosa said. “We felt that there is a partnership to be had with the university. We want to do it right. We want to do it with authenticity. And most of anything, we want to do it with impact. We really think students need help navigating financial management.”

Their interest in supporting the school goes way back to when they did the first endorsement deal with Texas quarterback Vince Young and even attended the 2006 NFL draft with him.

If only this had been around for older Texas athletes

They welcome the competition, if you will, but won’t see it as such. Yes, it could evolve into a recruiting benefit on a small level, but the Sosas are looking at it differently. The water’s fine. Come on in.

“If we can inspire other companies to do NIL and care for the individuals for their best benefit,” Bertrand said, “then I think the program is already successful just on those merits. I’m sure (other companies) will, and I hope that they do because the problem of financial empowerment is a massive one. It's very much like environmental issues. Not one company can can solve the problem.”

These are high-rollers, if you will, but they’ve never forgotten their roots. On Thursday, the Sosas flew to Washington as guests of first lady Jill Biden at an official state dinner where Bertrand and Roy were honored for giving $5,000 awards to the middle school and high school teachers of the year.

Was Bertrand financially responsible when he ended his Texas studies?

“I was not,” he said, laughing. “I came out with some debt on my Capital One card because I spent it on spring break. And I wish there was an Ouro or a Netspend on the sidelines trying to help me out. That’s why this is super important. I want these athletes to come out well-equipped.”

Dan Neil can endorse this one-of-a-kind NIL deal. No other company offers this array of widespread NIL benefits financially and educationally, although Sosa repeated that they welcome others to copy their blueprint. Neil, who has two degrees from Texas and once lost a state House election by five votes, serves as Ouro’s vice president of customer success.

“This will empower student-athletes to manage their own money,” Neil said. “If you don’t have a bank account, you need some type of card to function. Plus, it can help these athletes build their credit. We thought there was a need there. We want students to make smart financial decisions.”

He wishes it had been around when he was an All-America offensive guard for the Longhorns.

Neil didn’t take a single personal finance class until his final semester at Texas, and although he loved it, he had to drop the class to concentrate on preparing for the NFL combine. Wasn’t the worst decision ever because one of the best offensive linemen in school history was drafted by the Denver Broncos and played eight years for the two-time Super Bowl champions.

He could have used that finance class, however. He initially bought a four-bedroom house in Denver with his bonus.

“It was stupid, but it ended up working out,” Neil said. “Looking back, I didn’t even know if I was going to make the team. I just figured I’ll buy a house and be here 10 years.”

As he said, it worked out.

It also has for the Sosas, who made their home at Texas almost four decades ago and are now hoping to use that foundation to help other students make sound financial choices. And make some bucks along the way.

This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Texas athletes really like this name, image, likeness model