March Madness may own the sports calendar right now, but college football's biggest NIL name just made a move of his own.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning announced a partnership with Google Gemini on Instagram on Thursday, according to On3. It's the latest addition to one of the deepest endorsement portfolios in college sports.
The portfolio
Manning, heading into his redshirt junior season, already works with a long list of brands. On3 lists:
- Vuori
- Red Bull
- Warby Parker
- Uber
- Raising Cane's
- Panini America
- And now, Google Gemini
His On3 NIL Valuation sits at $5.4 million, the highest among college football players heading into 2026.
Why Google is in the NIL game
Gemini isn't stopping at one quarterback. On3 reported Google's AI assistant also recently sponsored a UConn women's basketball initiative through a partnership with Overtime. Tech brands have watched food, beverage and apparel companies dominate college athlete marketing for years. Now they're jumping in.
It makes sense. College athletes reach exactly the audience a lot of tech brands want: young, online and loyal to the people they follow.
Manning's playbook: front-load it
What's interesting about Manning isn't just who he signs with. It's when. He intentionally gets his NIL deals done before the season rather than during it, according to On3.
"I'm trying to get all that stuff out of the way before the season," Manning said, adding, "I'm focused on ball." He's also leaned on his uncles, Peyton and Eli, who built their own brands during their football careers, as he navigates NIL.
That's a smart lesson for any athlete, not just the ones with seven-figure valuations:
- Time it right. The offseason is when athletes have the most bandwidth for shoots, appearances and content.
- Be selective. A handful of brands that fit is better than a long list that eats your schedule.
- Lean on people who've done it. Not everybody has a Manning in the family, but mentors, compliance staff and trusted advisors can play a similar role.
What it means for fans
For fans, deals like this are a reminder that today's college stars are real businesses. They're building brands that last beyond a single season, and they're doing it in public.
There's also a lesson in how Manning picks partners. His list mixes lifestyle brands, a restaurant chain, a rideshare company, an energy drink, a trading card company and now an AI assistant. It's a portfolio that reaches different kinds of fans in different parts of their day, which is exactly what makes an athlete valuable to brands in the first place.
The flip side? Most athletes aren't Arch Manning. Most won't sign with a tech giant. For the vast majority, the most valuable relationship they've got is the one with the fans who follow them every week. That's where a lot of the NIL era's untapped value still lives.
Texas fans, meanwhile, will be counting the days until September to see if Manning's on-field production matches his off-field momentum.