EXCLUSIVE: Securing $1 Million in NIL Deals, 20-Year-Old Sam Hurley Gets Candid on University of Texas Support

The titillating discussion on the NIL (Name, Image, and Likeness) found a curve when Sam Hurley responded to  EssentiallySports in a press conference, shedding light on the matter. In taking a stand for his program at the University of Texas, the 20-year-old track and field athlete went into full disclosing mode, revealing the do’s and don’ts in the NIL deal, presently active in the NCAA season.

But with that, Sam Hurley also added about the nooks and crannies related to his college schedule and his way of avoiding the extra pressure from the prestigious deal. So, in the confluence of all those details, the ES Exclusive from SXSW 2024 turned out to be a learning experience from the current grain of NCAA track and field athletes who are eyeing to secure such an NIL deal.

With an NIL deal, bigger responsibilities come in

On March 10, the discussion in College Athletes as Influencers: Working with NIL Talent, presented by C4 energy drink expectedly, turned towards Sam Hurley and his NIL deal. The learned host, Marquel Carter from Nutrabolt, asked the junior track and field star about the ongoing role of TU in accompanying a star like him. Unlike most other NIL sports persons currently, Sam Hurley does not experience much fanfare in the rusty collegiate tracks. But TU went the extra mile in supporting him. “Yeah, (University Of Texas) they I think it’s pretty helpful,” he claimed on that matter. But that discussion uncapped more such curiosities on the NIL deal. 

So in explaining the specifics, the Arkansas native added, “…so they offer a lot of weight classes, different things you can take voluntarily so it’s up to you.” But that could send anyone asking for an NIL deal, as Carter was forced to think. Dismissing that edge, Sam quickly responded, “It’s like if you want to… want to work on you know if you want to so… not everybody wants to NIL… everybody wants to write about that”. Not only those factors, according to the 20-year-old athlete, the UT went beyond to keep things settled for him because of his celebrated status as the NIL deal holder. In normalcy, the University of Texas inked a special pact with Opendorse to help acquire the NIL deal back in 2022. That collaboration enacted several new rulings that eventually helped the athletes in the due process. One such came the creation of a profile for the student-athletes, where they could submit their pitchings regarding the process. Sam Hurley mentioned a few good points on it. 

Sam Hurley doesn’t miss his classes 

After receiving a USD 1 million NIL deal from the University of Texas some time ago, Sam Hurley, a junior in the program, achieved an astounding feat. Among the 25 top earners in NIL deals in 2023, the prodigy was the only one from the track and field sport. Additionally, aside from him and Olivia Dunne, the LSU Tigers’ starlet, the remaining 23 sporting juniors on the list came from either basketball or football. Moreover, the athlete keeps himself quite busy with social media, yielding handsome outcomes. As a result, a question arose during the C4 energy drink-powered EssentiallySports Exclusive Interview regarding his graduate classes at UT. That was about managing the classes.

Doing a major in Human Dimensions of Organizations, Sam replied, “…definitely people that do they offer different courses, classes, and things you can go in and take after class for sure”. In that situation, the mentioned Opendorse profile came in handy. 

Read more: Proud Mother Shouts Out Olivia Dunne and LSU’s Record-Setting Performance

Moreover, as per him, there were multiple things apart from the mentioned ones that UT managed pretty well, without disturbing any pieces. Doubling the factors, the Opendorse collaboration considers almost 20 sports programs where the student-athletes may receive an NIL deal. So, such a robust structure in the place has left Sam Hurley satisfied with his ongoing athletic spree. 

Also read: Amid Nick Dunlap’s $1.5M Loss, Exploring His NIL Deal