Chipotle Mexican Grill is ramping up its Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) game — this time across three major college sports programs.
For the 2025–26 season, nearly 2,000 student‑athletes from Ohio State, Florida, and Georgia will receive customized Chipotle cards. Each card grants one free entrée per week for 15 weeks.
This builds on the pilot program from the 2024–25 season, which involved only Ohio State’s athletes, about 1,000 in total.
The fast casual restaurant chain says this is about “democratizing NIL,” making sure athletes at all levels — not just headliners — have access to real, nutritious food during their competitive seasons.
Surveys show strong engagement:
- About 98% of OSU’s student-athletes eat Chipotle at least once a month.
- 94% of Florida athletes rank it among their top three favorite restaurants.
- Nearly 80% of Georgia athletes view Chipotle as an essential part of their fast food circuit.
To drive the campaign, Chipotle has rolled out two video ads featuring standout athletes — at OSU, Buckeye football stars Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, and Carnell Tate, and at Florida, quarterback DJ Lagway alongside basketball standout Walter Clayton Jr.