Chipotle Mexican Grill has announced a first-of-its-kind partnership with Ohio State University for the 2024-25 school year in which every scholarship and walk-on student-athlete will receive a customized card good for one free entrée per week during their respective athletic seasons. This amounts to approximately 1,000 total student-athletes.
Ohio State is one of the top five four-year universities that consume the most Chipotle, according to the company. Further, Chipotle has a restaurant support center in Columbus, Ohio, home of OSU. There are more than 20 Chipotle restaurants in the Columbus area, making Ohio’s capital city one of the biggest markets for the California-based chain.
To support the partnership, Chipotle has launched the second installment of an ad titled “THE,” featuring star OSU football players TreVeyon Henderson, Denzel Burke, and Jeremiah Smith and narrated by Buckeye alum and Hall-of-Famer Archie Griffin. The ad can be seen in its entirety here.
Additionally, the company’s nonprofit, The Chipotle Cultivate Foundation, will introduce a new four-year scholarship for a student enrolled in OSU’s College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences.
“With so many Buckeyes routinely visiting our High Street restaurant on campus and our strong connection to the Columbus community with a Restaurant Support Center in the Arena District, we wanted to pursue a partnership that would increase access to real food for all student athletes at OSU,” chief brand officer Chris Brandt said in a statement. “Typically, only a few star athletes secure NIL deals and brand partnerships, but we wanted to reward all Buckeyes with real ingredients to support their pursuit of academic and athletic excellence.”
In 2022, Chipotle teamed up with Henderson and Ohio State’s offensive line for its first-ever college football NIL (name, image, likeness) campaign. The players were featured in a video, also narrated by Griffin, that showcased Henderson’s journey from Hopewell, Va., to Ohio Stadium. According to the company, Ohio State and Chipotle worked closely to develop this partnership with athletics’ multimedia rights holder Ohio State Sports Properties, the locally-based team of Learfield — a college athletics’ media and technology company.
Contact Alicia Kelso at [email protected]
