🏅A new model of streamlined NIL operations

Hi everyone,

Today’s newsletter comes to you from Chase Brown of Eleven Warriors. It explores the current trend of bringing NIL operations in-house and gives a preview of what Ohio State is hoping to do with this new model. Several other programs are following similar playbooks, and it’ll be interesting to see how this trend develops — and spreads.

— Joan

QUICK HIT

A Battle is Brewing between EA and 2K

Two weeks ago, Matt broke the news about the likelihood of EA Sports releasing a college basketball video game in 2028 after the College Licensing Company (CLC) recommended that conferences accept EA’s proposal to bring back their college hoops video game. But an interesting wrinkle in the CLC recommendation memo: EA wasn’t the only company to submit a proposal. We can confirm that 2K was one of the three companies to make a formal bid. Read more about 2K’s proposal here.

“Streamline” and “consolidate” are buzzwords — the kind of corporate jargon a team leader uses in an 8 a.m. video conference where half the staff is wearing business casual tops and pajama bottoms because they snoozed their alarms until two minutes before the meeting.

Still, they’re the best words to describe Buckeye Sports Group (BSG), Ohio State’s self-proclaimed “groundbreaking initiative” designed to support and enhance name, image and likeness opportunities for the school’s athletes.

On June 9, Ohio State issued a press release announcing a partnership with Learfield that will streamline NIL operations for the athletic department. In the same release, the school shared its plans to consolidate its collectives, THE Foundation and The 1870 Society, into a single marketing team, with the founding members of both enterprises serving as advisors to BSG.

Ohio State isn’t alone in overhauling its NIL strategy. Major programs like Georgia, Texas and Illinois have also partnered with Learfield to bring NIL operations in-house, indicating a growing trend among top athletic departments looking to centralize resources and better manage compliance. 

The push for consolidation has intensified following recent guidance from the College Sports Commission, which warned that an “entity with a business purpose of providing payments or benefits to student-athletes or institutions, rather than providing goods or services to the general public for profit, does not satisfy the valid business purpose requirement.” Against that backdrop, and with collectives under increasing legal and financial pressure, bringing everything under one roof allows schools to streamline operations, ensure long-term sustainability and maintain better oversight in a fast-evolving NIL landscape.

A unified approach and combined efforts have paid dividends for the Buckeyes, THE Foundation co-founder Brian Schottenstein said. Schottenstein has relished his chance to contribute to Ohio State’s NIL efforts, despite the House settlement moving him and his collective to the backseat.

“I’m excited about working together as one team and believe we can continue to have the most successful NIL in the country,” Schottenstein said. “I believe transparency and communicating properly with the fan base will allow the Buckeye Sports Group brand to be successful.”

Schottenstein’s advisory role remains fluid as BSG continues to streamline and consolidate its operations. While he and BSG are “still working out all of the details,” he said, he’s made an impact consulting for Ohio State’s new NIL leadership team, which will empower athletes to maximize their brand value while competing at the highest level.

Through Ohio State’s partnership with Learfield, the school’s athletic department will gain access to Learfield’s Compass NIL technology. Originally launched in 2021 to handle NIL licensing opt-ins (e.g., EA Sports College Football), Compass now integrates brand partnerships, sponsorships and content deals in a single environment. The Compass mobile app also allows athletes to browse brand opportunities, view deliverable requirements and receive payments directly through the platform.

With Compass now at Ohio State’s disposal, deputy athletic director Carey Hoyt described the school’s approach in a statement as “full-service” — meaning it will aim to maximize athlete earning potential, strengthen the Buckeyes’ brand value through strategic partnerships and create a sustainable NIL ecosystem that benefits athletes, brands and the university. Todd Knisley, vice president and general manager of Learfield’s Ohio State sports properties, said the Buckeyes are well-positioned to do all three now and in the future.

“As we enter a new era for college athletics, we’re excited to build on our past successes and create even more meaningful NIL opportunities for Ohio State student-athletes,” Knisley said. “Buckeyes have excelled both on and off the field, and we’re committed to amplifying that momentum. We also recognize the unique potential of our footprint in Columbus, one of the fastest-growing metro markets, for impactful deal-making. With the strength of Buckeye Nation behind us, we’re able to unlock incremental opportunities for partnerships on a local, regional and national scale.”

Since the NCAA approved NIL policies on July 1, 2021, Ohio State athletes have partnered with over 500 brands across all 36 sports. Adidas joined that list this summer after signing Jeremiah Smith to one of the first announced NIL deals under BSG, an audacious move considering Ohio State’s $252 million endorsement deal with Nike.

No doubt Ohio State would have preferred their star football player choose a swoosh over three stripes. But that’s the high-wire act of streamlining and consolidating: building an NIL machine powerful enough to manage brand collisions — and profitable enough to ignore them.

Chase Brown is an Ohio State grad currently on staff at Eleven Warriors, an independent site that covers Buckeye sports.