AUSTIN (KXAN) — Texas Longhorns men’s swimming and diving head coach Eddie Reese has won more than anyone else in NCAA history.

During his 45-year tenure, the Longhorns have won 15 national championships and finished as runners-up another 13 times, including last season.

When they compete in the Big 12 Championships in Austin from Feb. 22-25, the Longhorns will be aiming for their 44th consecutive Big 12 title.

So while winning championships is nothing new to Reese, he has had to acclimate to the role NIL now plays in college sports.

And he’s concerned.

“NIL is a monster out there,” Reese said. “I worry about it the next five to eight years.”

The rule now commonly referred to shortly as NIL is short for Name, Image and Likeness. The policy allows for student-athletes of all levels and sports to profit off their name, image or likeness. The rule went into effect for athletes in July 2021.

Texas running back Bijan Robinson is one of many Texas athletes that took full advantage of the new legislation. He inked a deal with Lamborghini Austin in May 2022 before launching his own brand of dijon mustard called ‘Bijan Mustardson’ right before football started in August.

“They are way behind us,” Reese joked about the football team not having NIL deals to the level of his swimming group.

Football is king for NIL deals, especially at UT. But Reese’s athletes are still working on deals that have a big impact on the sport.

Reese said the most common NIL deal for his athletes is with swimsuit brands with at least three Longhorns having such agreements. Despite the monetary benefit, the Longhorns head coach noted student-athletes must be weary.

“We know that there’s a suit out there that is best for male swimmers, and we use that suit,” Reese said. “And if [the athletes] go to a different suit, then they can still wear that, but you don’t want to just sign something for money. That’s where mistakes can be made.”

According to Reese, some of his athlete’s NIL contracts are incentive-based, meaning the better they finish, the more the deal will be worth.

Carson Foster, a junior standout on the swim team, was who Reese noted when asked which of his athletes is best with NIL.

The new law has created a landscape that is far different from when Reese entered the coaching ranks in 1967.

Now, it remains to be seen whether his concerns about the effects of NIL will come to fruition as more and more college athletes continue to net deals.