Georgia, Florida join Ohio State athletes with free food from Chipotle as part of expanded NIL program

Chipotle announced on Wednesday it will expand its NIL program, which began last year with Ohio State, to include Florida and Georgia for the 2025-26 school year. Student-athletes at the three schools -- scholarship recipients and walk-ons alike -- will receive a customized Chipotle card, granting them free meals for the duration of their respective seasons. The fast-casual restaurant chain said nearly 2,000 student-athletes across the partner schools will benefit from the program, which debuted last year exclusively with the Buckeyes. 

Buckeye football players Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles and Carnell Tate will also be part of a new Chipotle ad this season. Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and former Gators basketball standout Walter Clayton Jr. will also star in a second ad.

The custom Chipotle card rewards student-athletes with one entrée per week for 15 weeks. The company said it picked Ohio State, Florida and Georgia for the program because of those schools' status as three of the top 30 universities that eat the most Chipotle. Its survey found that 98% of Ohio State student-athletes eat at the restaurant at least once a month, 94% of Florida student-athletes consider Chipotle to be in their top three favorite restaurants, and that nearly 80% of Georgia student-athletes consider Chipotle to be an important part of their training regimen.

"Our restaurants near each of these universities are frequently filled with student athletes looking for a quick and nutritious meal that can help them thrive in the classroom and on the field," said Chris Brandt, the restaurant's chief brand officer. "By expanding our college card program to three universities this academic year, we're democratizing NIL for nearly 2,000 student athletes and increasing their access to real food when they need it the most."

In addition to the NIL program, Chipotle will also contribute to academic programs at Ohio State and Florida. It established a four-year, full-ride scholarship for an in-state student attending Ohio State's College of Foot, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. It will also provide over $100,000 in undergraduate research awards for students in the agricultural, farming and food programs at Florida's College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Ohio State, Florida and Georgia all project as top-end programs for the 2025 college football season. The No. 3 Buckeyes defend their national title run with a bevy of new faces in their starting lineup but still boast a number of key contributors from last year's squad, including the three involved in the Chipotle ad campaign. The Gators enter the season at No. 15 and are in search of a breakthrough season with Lagway stepping up as the full-time starting quarterback. And the Bulldogs, ranked No. 5, will be right back in the SEC title mix after winning two of the last three league championships.