July 17, 2026
University of Texas Athletics and ShopBack Launch Year-Round Shopping Rewards Platform for Longhorns Fans
The multi-year sponsorship delivers Cashback rewards, student-athlete collaborations, year-round fan experiences and the new ShopBack Gate to Longhorn Nation.
Background
- Texas is the second-largest US state by size and population, with around 30 million residents. Its economy would rank among the world's top ten if it were an independent country.
- The University of Texas at Austin has around 50,000 students and more than 500,000 alumni. Ask a Texan where they went to school and you'll understand quickly that UT is less an institution and more a shared family heirloom.
- College football is among the biggest sports in the US. The Longhorns sit near the top of that world, with the kind of fanbase most professional clubs spend decades trying to build. In 2024, Texas joined the Southeastern Conference, raising the stakes further.
- Darrell K Royal – Texas Memorial Stadium seats close to 100,000 people, making it one of the largest sports venues on earth. On home game days, it is one of the most-watched gatherings in the country.
AUSTIN, Texas, July 17, 2026 - Texas Athletics and mobile-first shopping and rewards platform ShopBack today announced a new relationship that names the company the Official Shopping Rewards Sponsor of the Texas Longhorns, giving Longhorns fans new ways to earn Cashback and access exclusive offers from leading retailers, while delivering campus, gameday, student programming and year-round fan engagement.
"The University of Texas has one of the most passionate and powerful fan communities in the country, and we are proud to build with Longhorn Nation as ShopBack grows in the U.S.," said Carolina Paradas, General Manager of North America at ShopBack. "Younger consumers already shop mobile-first, and rewards should be just as dynamic, useful and connected to how they discover, buy and engage with brands. This relationship brings our vision to life by giving students, alumni and fans real value back through everyday purchases, while helping leading retailers show up in moments that already matter.
The new sponsorship, developed and managed by Longhorn Sports Properties, a division of college sports media and technology leader Learfield, includes the new ShopBack Gate at Darrell K Royal - Texas Memorial Stadium, which will be installed for the upcoming 2026 football season.
ShopBack, home to 20 million active users, will leverage its platform to connect with one of the largest and most engaged fan communities in college sports with more than 10.3 million Longhorns fans nationwide who are digitally active with strong e-commerce habits. Longhorns fans will also gain access to exclusive offers from leading retailer partners of ShopBack.
"This innovative new collaboration with ShopBack connects their industry-leading commercial platforms to our great fans and the Texas sports community at a time when we are experiencing tremendous growth of our Texas brand at retail," said Drew Martin, Executive Senior Associate athletics director for external affairs for Texas Athletics. "Coming off another record year for sales of Texas branded merchandise, the ShopBack platform is a win-win for our Longhorns fans who can now support the university through the purchase of Texas gear and other items while also earning rewards for themselves.
As part of the sponsorship, ShopBack will collaborate with Texas student-athletes through name, image, and likeness (NIL) programs tied to content, appearances and fan activations. It will also launch its Take It to the House sweepstakes, giving Longhorns fans the chance to win a share of up to $25,000 when Texas Football returns a kickoff or punt for a touchdown. Full sweepstakes details will be announced soon.
We're proud to welcome ShopBack as our Official Shopping Rewards Sponsor and are excited for them to deliver immediate value to Longhorn students, fans, and alumni by rewarding them with Cashback on purchases they're already making from everyday essentials to travel and more, said Lucas Motta, Vice President of Longhorn Sports Properties. ShopBack's commitment to Texas Athletics while creating meaningful benefits for the people most passionate about the Longhorns is exactly what we look for in a partner. We are excited to work with their team as they continue to build their presence in Austin.
For ShopBack, the collaboration with Texas Athletics marks an important step in its U.S. growth strategy. The company officially launched its Cashback app and rewards platform in the U.S. in 2025 and recently surpassed $1 billion in total Cashback awarded to shoppers globally. With its U.S. operations based in Austin, ShopBack is leveraging its activations to build its presence with a highly engaged college sports fan community.
With 50 days until kickoff, the program will begin rolling out this summer with freshman orientation activations and expand through the 2026–27 athletics calendar across football, men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball.