Humann Looks to Reshape NIL Partnerships with Texas Longhorns

NIL has reshaped the landscape of college athletics as a whole and has made its biggest difference on college football, with plenty of teams benefiting from the addition of being able to directly pay their players through funds and partnerships.

And for the Texas Longhorns, they are no strangers to being involved and being able to benefit from the new NIL era of college football, thanks to their elite standing in the world of college athletics. So much so that there have been claims by some people in the sport that the Longhorns are the biggest spenders in college football.

However, with the Longhorns’ most recent partnership with Humann, the Austin-based cardiovascular health supplement company is looking to take a different approach in the world of NIL partnerships, focusing on the well-being of players both on and off the field.

Texas Athletics and Humann inked their official partnership back on August 25, with Humann stepping into the foreground, with its logo being featured on the field of Darrell K. Royal Stadium, to UFCU Disch-Falk Field and onto the court of the Moody Center, beginning in the 2026-27 season.

Speaking with Texas Longhorns on SI, CEO and Co-Founder of Humann, Joel Kocher, talked about the long history Humann has with the Longhorns, with a relationship behind the scenes that dates back over 15 years, and why partnering with the Longhorns was a no-brainer.

“The answer is simple, this is where it all started,” Kocher said. “Since 2009, Humann has been right here in Texas, quietly working alongside the University of Texas System, from the halls of science to the fields at DKR, where our products have supported student-athletes for years. 

“The University of Texas Health Science Center is where the Nobel Prize–winning nitric oxide research that inspired Humann was born. With that long-standing history, it made all the business sense in the world to use Texas as the trusted platform to tell our powerful origin story. Born from UT science and proven on UT fields by the athletes who believe in it,” Kocher added

Humann’s focus is not just to be a partner with the Longhorns in namesake but to play a role in their athletes’ busy lives both on and off the field, with Kocher explaining that Humann has already heard positive results from Longhorns athletes about the effects of using Humann’s products.

“Hearing directly from the athletes, and from the nutrition staff who support them, has been incredibly rewarding,” Kocher said. “They’re noticing the difference, not just in performance, but in recovery, stamina, energy, and focus. They understand how critical circulation and nitric oxide are to both daily performance and long-term health. Our goal was to show that there’s a way to perform better holistically, recognizing that heart and cardiovascular health aren’t just concerns for later in life, but a competitive edge right now. We’ve proven that’s possible.”

While the partnership is still in its first few months of existence, Kocher highlighted the future of how the relationship can benefit both sides, with Humann getting the opportunity to grow by representing a brand as big as the Longhorns, and for Texas being able to put health and recovery at the forefront of their programs.

“We’re showing how science and athletics can elevate each other through a shared mission,” Kocher said. “For Humann, this is an unparalleled environment to validate our work in a real-world, high-performance setting. For the Longhorns, it’s a demonstration that prioritizing health is the foundation of endurance, focus, and long-term well-being. Together, we’re defining what longevity, whole-body health, and purpose-driven partnerships can look like for years to come.”