Student-athletes at three major college athletics programs will have to worry about one less meal per week during their season thanks to Chipotle.
The Mexican fast-casual restaurant chain announced Wednesday it will provide one free meal per week to every varsity athlete at Ohio State, Georgia and Florida for the 2025-26 athletics season.
Both scholarship and walk-on players are eligible to receive a special, customized card they can use for 15 weeks during their sport’s season.
If that sounds like a natural partnership, it is according to Chipotle brand officer Chris Brandt.
“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,” Brandt said in a press release. “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.”
A Fitting Partnership
Chipotle began this program with Ohio State earlier this year and is adding Georgia and Florida now.
Three players from the Buckeyes’ national championship football team — Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles and Carnell Tate — appeared in an ad that began running online this week titled “Confetti” that shows the team going through training activities to prepare for defending its crown.
If there were any doubt this is a sensible partnership, Chipotle cites survey data that found 98% of Ohio State athletes eat at Chipotle at least once per month.
“We’re excited to continue growing this collaboration with a brand that shares our commitment to empowering student athletes to be their authentic and best selves,” Ohio State NIL director Logan Hittle said in a press release.
The chain is also running an ad featuring Florida quarterback DJ Lagway and former Gator Walter Clayton Jr., who was the point guard on Florida’s national championship basketball team in the spring.
What is Name, Image and Likeness Compensation?
College athletes were forbidden from being paid more than a scholarship until 2021, when the NCAA passed rules allowing them to profit from their name, image and likenesses.
While doing endorsements for big brands such as Chipotle are one of most obvious ways for athletes to cash in, they can do so via any number of ways.
That includes signing autographs, making personal appearances and hosting camps.
More About Chipotle
Born in the early 1990s in Colorado, Chipotle Mexican Grill, Inc. (NYSE: CMG) has over 3,800 restaurants in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Kuwait, and United Arab Emirates.
According to the company, it is the only restaurant company of its size that owns and operates all its restaurants in North America and Europe.
Beyond athletics, Chipotle also announced it is offering a four-year scholarship for an in-state student in Ohio State’s College of Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and providing over $100,000 in undergraduate research awards for students at Florida’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
