Ohio State’s Evolving Role in the NIL Landscape

As Universities around the nation are navigating the new NIL rules, Ohio State has jumped on the opportunity to take advantage of this evolving landscape with new NIL programs for Buckeye Student-Athletes

Adam Bloom | January 25th, 2022

With the passing of new NIL laws prior to last season, college athletes have taken full advantage of their newfound ability to profit off of their name, image, and likeness. According to the Ohio State Athletic Department, 220 athletes across various varsity programs have earned a whopping total of $2.98 million dollars since the new NIL rules have been in place. Per Opendorse, Ohio State ranks first nationally in total student-athletes utilizing NIL deals, total NIL deals made by student-athletes, as well as cumulative value of NIL deals. The University initially created NIL guidelines that were, according to OSU senior associate athletics director Carey Hoyt, “restrictive.” As the national landscape of NIL deals has evolved, Hoyt says that “it’s clear that we can provide more assistance in connecting student-athletes with interested brands.” The new rules at Ohio State will allow certain staff members to work directly with brands to “eliminate hesitancy” from companies and donors that don’t want to accidentally break NIL rules. In order to implement these new guidelines, Ohio State has created the NIL Edge Team to manage the athletic departments involvement with brands and student-athletes in regards to NIL deals.

The new NIL Edge Team will work to educate student-athletes about how to protect themselves and help them manage their brands in the constantly evolving world of NIL deals. In addition, the University has said that new operations directors will work with student-athletes, as well as brands and donors, as coordinators for NIL activity. Hoyt has also announced that the University is partnering with Opendorse Ready, a company that offers NIL services to help student-athletes “Maximize their NIL earning potential.” Opendorse will assist student-athletes at Ohio State in assessing their brand value, and helping them maximize their opportunity to earn through NIL deals. This new program through Opendorse, titled “THE Platform,” will include consultation with “industry leaders,” and will provide student-athletes with content from experts on “brand building, monetization, and financial literacy.” Buckeye Head Football Coach Ryan Day has already endorsed THE Platform, saying that it will “provide a unique opportunity for our student-athletes to maximize their brand value and exposure.”

The creation of a new system and guidelines to help Buckeye student-athletes manage their NIL dealings comes at a time when Ohio State football players are beginning to dominate the NIL earnings leaderboard. According to On3, 5 football players from last year's team are in the top 100 in the nation in terms of NIL earnings. Quarterback C.J. Stroud sits at number 2 with a total estimate of $1.1 million in earnings. Wide Receivers Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Garrett Wilson all sit in the top 15 earners in the nation, with each having made between $300,000-$400,000. True Freshman Running Back TreVeyon Henderson sits at number 81 on the list, with a value of $115,000. Ryan Day has said that “Ohio State and our guys have benefited tremendously from NIL. There’s been a lot of opportunities for our guys - and they’ve really capitalized on that.”

The college football landscape is changing at a rapid pace due to the evolving presence of NIL deals, and different Universities are taking differing roles in using the new rules to both support current players, as well as recruit future players with the allure of lucrative NIL opportunities. Ohio State has seen that these rules are going to impact their players and programs at a growing rate, and has jumped on the opportunity to catapult the University to the top of the pack when it comes to NIL management and opportunities. The Buckeye football team has already seen the implications of NIL deals impacting the program with the transfer of #1 overall 2021 recruit, QB Quinn Ewers. Ewers reclassified to the 2021 class in order to come to Ohio State and take advantage of NIL rules, as he was not allowed to do so in high school in his home state of Texas. When the 2021 season ended, Ewers transferred to Texas after reportedly having NIL deals contingent on him starting the next season, which was problematic as Heisman finalist and Big Ten QB of the year CJ Stroud will be returning to the Buckeyes in 2022. For better or for worse, NIL rules are going to impact Ohio State’s athletic programs in the years to come, and the launch of the NIL Edge Team and THE Platform through Opendorse Ready has set up the University to take full advantage of what the future of college athletics holds.