NIL

Ohio State Athletics, Learfield launch Buckeye Sports Group

Published

7 months ago

June 9, 2025

Ohio State Athletics, Learfield launch Buckeye Sports Group

The Ohio State University Department of Athletics and Learfield’s Ohio State Sports Properties have announced the formation of Buckeye Sports Group (BSG), an initiative designed to support, streamline and enhance Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities for Ohio State student-athletes. By creating a dedicated team of NIL leaders, this strategic partnership will empower Buckeye student-athletes to maximize their brand value while competing at the highest level.

Ohio State and Learfield Impact, the company’s NIL services, are fueled by on-campus leadership professionals who prioritize Buckeye student-athlete brand engagement and content-driven campaigns. Additionally, BSG will have access to Learfield’s Compass NIL technology to facilitate deal transactions and gain insights into student-athlete interests that foster authentic brand connections.

“Ohio State has always been a leader in college athletics, and this initiative is another step forward to build upon our strong NIL foundation,” said Carey Hoyt, Ohio State’s deputy director of athletics. “By combining the power of our athletic brand with Learfield’s expansive network, we are creating an innovative, full-service approach to NIL that directly benefits our student-athletes.”

The House v. NCAA settlement marks a pivotal shift in college athletics. As part of the agreement, signed and approved Friday and taking effect July 1, schools will now be permitted to directly compensate athletes for use of their name, image and likeness. A key component of the settlement is the implementation of a Fair Market Evaluation process, and a “range of compensation” designed to establish standardized benchmarks for NIL deals across sports and institutions. Buckeye Sports Group will serve as a centralized hub for NIL brand deal facilitation, corporate partnerships, student-athlete storytelling and NIL support.

A comprehensive NIL strategy

The Buckeye Sports Group will support Ohio State’s student-athletes with comprehensive efforts within three key areas: deal facilitation and management, content creation and storytelling, and support services.

NIL deal facilitation & management

Negotiating and securing brand partnerships locally, regionally and nationally for student-athletes.
Overseeing contract preparation and fair market value assessments.
Utilizing analytics to track NIL performance and return on investment.

Content creation & student-athlete storytelling, powered by Learfield Studios

Creating athlete-driven digital content, including social media campaigns, video series and podcasts.
Leveraging Learfield’s Fanbase data and digital expertise to optimize distribution across social media and digital channels.
Providing marketing resources for brand collaborations to maximize results, including the use of Ohio State marks and logos and access to campus facilities.

Athlete support & services

Providing financial literacy and tax support through partnerships with industry experts.
Offering branding and social media growth training to help athletes build their personal brands.
Connecting student-athletes with brand partners to provide business experience and micro-internships and build professional networking relationships with companies.

A unified approach to NIL

In a move to streamline and optimize NIL operations, Buckeye Sports Group will also work to consolidate existing NIL collectives under a single marketing team. This unified structure will provide student-athletes with seamless access to opportunities while competing for the Buckeyes. The founding members of THE Foundation and The 1870 Society will remain engaged and serve in an advisory capacity to the new Buckeye Sports Group. Additionally, re-occurring donations and subscriptions made to The Foundation will continue to play a vital role in supporting Ohio State Athletics.

“We’re incredibly thankful for everything our NIL collective’s leadership, businesses and donors have done to support our student-athletes,” said Ross Bjork, senior vice president and Wolfe Foundation-Eugene Smith Endowed Athletics Director. “Their commitment has helped shape the landscape in powerful ways. As we move forward with a more unified approach, we’re excited to combine efforts and further strengthen the NIL success of our student-athletes.”

Impact & vision

Through this partnership, Ohio State Athletics and Learfield are setting a new standard for NIL excellence. The initiative aims to:

Maximize student-athlete earning potential.
Strengthen Ohio State’s brand value through strategic partnerships.
Create a sustainable, best-in-class NIL ecosystem that benefits athletes, brands and the university.

“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,” said Todd Knisley, vice president & general manager of Learfield’s Ohio State Sports Properties. “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.”

BSG will fuel Ohio State’s NIL deal-making success and build upon the momentum of over 500 NIL brand partnerships featuring Buckeye student-athletes across all 36 sports. Buckeye student-athletes have already collaborated with prominent brand partners such as Beats by Dre, Chipotle, Right Rug, Weber Grills, Element Electronics and more.

“We are committed to making Ohio State the premier destination for NIL success,” Hoyt said. “With Buckeye Sports Group, we’re building a model that will serve as the new standard for college athletics.”

NIL

Miami NIL financial commitment in 2026

Published

38 minutes ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The landscape is evolving fast, and more teams saw the success of Miami, Texas Tech, Oregon, and Indiana in the portal, and will become more
competitive. Texas Tech is doubling down, and we can expect more competition even inside the ACC with Clemson and VaTech. Point here, is what was good and competitive in 2025, wont be enough in 2026. Solid HS recruiting helps, but just look at the impact of our portal class this season. January 2nd through the 10th is going to be crucial, and hope we have our ducks in a row right now. The financial commitment needs to grow to be on par with Texas Tech and Oregon.

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NIL

College football: Four key Gophers coming back in unique NIL campaign

Published

2 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

PHOENIX — Four important Gopher football players were part of a unique media campaign on Tuesday.

Offensive linemen Greg Johnson and Nathan Roy, and defensive backs John Nestor and Kerry Brown allowed the Gophers’ NIL collective, Dinkytown Athletes, to share news they will play in the Rate Bowl against New Mexico on Friday, and will return to Minnesota for the 2026 season.

The social media posts were “presented by Cub Foods,” and those players will be recipients of the grocer’s NIL contribution next year. Dinkytown Athletes serves as a subcontractor.

Athletics Director Mark Coyle called Cub Foods a “foundational partner” of Gopher sports.

“That is how we take the next step, with that type of involvement with NIL side of it,” Coyle told the Pioneer Press. “We are so grateful for their support.”

A few more current Gopher players are expected to join the Cub Foods campaign after the bowl game. But if players on the current roster aren’t included in this specific rollout, that doesn’t necessarily mean they are leaving the U to go into the transfer portal.

For instance, quarterback Drake Lindsey said, independently, two weeks ago that he would return to Minnesota for his redshirt sophomore season in 2026. Other current players have shared they will be back with the Gophers next year.

Meanwhile, the futures of defensive end Anthony Smith, safety Koi Perich and running back Darius Taylor have yet to be shared. Smith and Taylor said Wednesday they have not yet made decisions on their plans for 2026; both are in line to play in the bowl game at Chase Field.

“I really haven’t thought about that stuff,” Taylor said. “I’m just worried about the game. I will figure all that out after the game.”

Smith said he hasn’t ruled out entering the transfer portal. “I don’t know,” he said.

Johnson, who started all 12 regular-season games at guard, will return for his senior season next fall. The Prior Lake native played nearly 700 snaps and was Minnesota’s highest-graded starting offensive lineman in 2025 (75.3 overall mark, per Pro Football Focus).

“Being from Minnesota, I personally didn’t have any thoughts of going elsewhere,” Johnson said. “I think Drake really set the tone for the team. This is Drake’s team. He’s our leader and it’s easy to come back and want to play for a guy like that.”

Roy stepped in as the U’s left tackle during his redshirt freshman year with aplomb, playing a team-high 702 snaps with a 69.0 grade from PFF. The Mukwanago, Wis., native will be back for his redshirt sophomore year.

Nestor transferred in from the Iowa Hawkeyes last year, and the Chicago native started 10 of 12 games as Minnesota’s most-reliable corner. He had a team-high five interceptions, adding 47 tackles in 538 total snaps. He will be a senior in 2026.

Brown continued as a linchpin in Minnesota’s defense for second straight season. The safety and nickel back from Naples, Fla., was fourth on team with 55 tackles and added two interceptions in 579 snaps. He will return for his redshirt junior year.

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NIL

Three Mizzou staffers following Kirby Moore to Washington State

Published

2 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

When Kirby Moore got the Washington State head coaching job, Eli Drinkwitz knew a few members of his staff would likely be headed to Pullman soon.

“Moving forward, could lose a couple more people off our staff from analyst roles, as coach Moore finalizes and puts his staff together,” Drinkwitz said on December 16. “It shouldn’t change the dynamic of what we do at all.”

Three of those moves were reported on Wednesday morning by Chris Hummer and Matt Zenitz of CBS and 247Sports.

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The first is Tiger tight ends coach Derham Cato. Cato has coached Mizzou’s tight ends for the last three seasons. He spent six years at Washington, including an overlap with Moore when Moore was a graduate assistant for the Huskies. PowerMizzou.com had alerted subscribers to this move being likely a week ago.

The second coach is assistant offensive line coach Jack Abercrombie. Hummer and Zenitz report that Abercrombie will be the full-time offensive line coach for Moore with Washington State. Prior to his time at Mizzou, Abercrombie was on staff at VMI.

The final Mizzou to Washington State move is a front office move. Brad Larrondo, who has served as the CEO of Every True Tiger Brands, which is Missouri’s third-part partner for name, image and likeness deals. In his role, Larrondo helps Mizzou athletes line up NIL deals and also negotiates NIL and revenue sharing contracts for Mizzou football and men’s basketball players. Larrondo came to Missouri as Drinkwitz’s Director of Football External Relations and Recruiting in March of 2023. Prior to that, he had been the Chief of Staff at Auburn.

Larrondo had spent the previous 28 years in the athletic administration at Boise State, which is just 300 miles from Pullman. He still has family in Boise and sources told PowerMizzou.com the move to Washington State is heavily based in family reasons.

Larrondo’s position is technically not a University or a football program hire. However, the position works very closely with both and whoever replaces him will do so with influence and blessing from both of those entities. Missouri plays Virginia in the Taxslayer Gator Bowl on Saturday night. Any personnel moves or replacements will almost certainly not come until after that game.

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NIL

Missouri Damon Wilson files countersuit against Georgia in NIL case

Published

3 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 24, 2025, 11:28 a.m. ET

Missouri football defensive end Damon Wilson has sued Georgia athletics, a move that counters a Georgia lawsuit filed against Wilson earlier this year and intensifies what was already a novel and likely first-of-its-kind case over an NIL contract dispute.

A 42-page document reviewed by the Columbia Daily Tribune was filed in Boone County on Tuesday.

Georgia is attempting to take Wilson into arbitration and is seeking $390,000 in liquidated damages from the star edge rusher, who transferred to the Tigers in January 2025, over what the university views as an unfulfilled contract with the Bulldogs’ former NIL collective, Classic City Collective.

In response, escalating what was already an attempt at a potentially precedent-setting case, Wilson’s attorneys allege his former team “falsely (told) at least three programs” unnamed Power Four teams that “Wilson would be subject to a $1.2 million buyout.”

The suit also alleges Georgia violated a confidentiality provision in Wilson’s term sheet, which was provided as part of the UGA lawsuit in a public court filing.

Wilson’s suit argues he also was urged to sign the term sheet without legal counsel, and that Georgia did not “immediately submit his name to the transfer portal” but instead “launched an all-out offensive to convince Wilson to remain at Georgia.”

Also of note: The suit argues the term sheet Wilson signed states it would “be used to create a legally binding document” and therefore is not enforceable in its current format, and that he was urged to “seek legal counsel” before the agreement was finalized.

If the document is determined not to be finalized, it is quite likely Wilson will not owe Georgia the $390,000 it seeks.

Per The Athletic, Wilson is seeking “a ‘fair and reasonable amount of damages’ for the ‘financial and reputational harm he has suffered’ along with legal fees” from Georgia.

“Georgia appears intent on making an example of someone, they just picked the wrong person,” Jeff Jensen, one of Wilson’s attorneys, said to the Columbia Daily Tribune. “Damon never had a contract with them. I don’t see how Georgia thinks intimidation and litigation will help their recruitment efforts — maybe players could bring lawyers with them to practice.”

Multiple Missouri representatives, including a team spokesperson and athletic director Laird Veatch, have declined to comment on Wilson’s lawsuit. The Georgia lawsuit is not against the University of Missouri; it is only against Wilson.

“This matter involves pending litigation, and we have no comment at this time,” Georgia spokesperson Steven Drummond told USA TODAY on Tuesday. “We refer you to our previous statement.”

The previous Georgia statement in question: “When the University of Georgia Athletic Association enters binding agreements with student-athletes, we honor our commitments and expect student-athletes to do the same.”

Georgia has argued Wilson signed a contract — a common practice in the NIL era — with what was then Georgia’s main, but now-shuttered, NIL and marketing arm, Classic City Collective, in December 2024.

That collective has since shut down, as Georgia has partnered with Learfield to negotiate and facilitate NIL deals in the revenue-sharing era.

The report, citing documents attached to Georgia’s legal filings, shows that Wilson signed a 14-month term sheet worth $500,000 with the Bulldogs. He was set to earn monthly payments of $30,000 through the end of the contract, as well as two $40,000 bonus payments.

Before announcing his intention to transfer in January, he reportedly was paid $30,000.

The contract states if Wilson left the team or transferred, as he ultimately did to Missouri, he would owe the collective that issued the payments a lump sum equal to the amount remaining on his deal.

The bonus payments seemingly were not included, which brings that total to the $390,000 that Georgia is now seeking in court.

Wilson was paid only a fraction of that sum, but the university argues he owes the full amount in damages. It’s unclear why Georgia is claiming it is owed the full amount in liquidated damages.

According to documents viewed by the Tribune through the Georgia courts records system, Georgia filed an “application to compel arbitration” on Oct. 17 in the Clarke County Superior Court, which includes Athens and the University of Georgia. Wilson was served with a summons to appear in court, according to documents, on Nov. 19, three days before the Tigers faced Oklahoma.

Wilson spent his freshman and sophomore seasons at Georgia. He transferred to Missouri ahead of spring camp in 2025 and has emerged as one of the top pass rushers in the SEC.

Per Pro Football Focus, Wilson generated 49 pressures on opposing quarterbacks this season, which was the second-most in the SEC behind only Colin Simmons at Texas. He’s listed at 6-4, 250 pounds and could declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, where he would likely be a Day 1 or 2 pick.

This case marks the first time a school has taken a player to court over an NIL buyout. It also looks likely to be the first time a player has filed suit against a school over NIL.

Missouri has multiple players on two-year contracts. Part of that is in the hope they do not move on after one season.

If Georgia’s arbitration case against Wilson is successful, that would be a groundbreaking ruling in college athletics that could give more weight to liquidated damages clauses in athlete contracts.

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NIL

College Football Playoff team loses key starter to NCAA transfer portal

Published

4 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The first round of the College Football Playoff is in the books. Eight teams remain in the hunt to win it all, with Miami and Ohio State kicking off the quarterfinals slate in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl on December 31.

There were quite a few memorable games in the opening round of the playoffs, including Miami’s hard-fought victory against Texas A&M and Alabama’s wild comeback to secure a road win over Oklahoma.

The lone blowout came from Ole Miss over Tulane, winning 41-10 over the Green Wave. Both programs are in transition after their head coaches were hired away by other schools. The Green Wave, in particular, has seen some attrition since concluding its season last week.

Another Tulane Starter Enters Transfer Portal

On Wednesday afternoon, redshirt sophomore cornerback Jahiem Johnson announced his plans to move on after three seasons at Tulane, per On3’s Haye Fawcett.

Johnson developed into a productive defender for the Green Wave in 2025, starting in all 14 games. He totaled 42 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 forced fumble, 9 pass deflections, and 4 interceptions. Johnson’s 9 pass deflections led the American Conference.

He deflected a pass in 6 different games and recorded a pick in 4 separate outings. In Tulane’s conference championship victory against North Texas, Johnson tied his season-high with 5 tackles, 1 pass deflection, and 1 interception.

The Louisiana native played the most snaps (834 snaps) of any player on Tulane’s defense. He was the third-highest-graded player on the unit (77.1 overall grade), per Pro Football Focus.

Johnson signed with Tulane as a three-star prospect in the 2023 class, joining the program under former head coach Willie Fritz. He redshirted as a true freshman, sticking with the Green Wave when Jon Sumrall took over.

In 2024, appeared in 14 games as a reserve, totaling 4 tackles and 2 pass deflections. Johnson’s rise this past season resulted in him earning honorable mention conference honors.

Johnson is the fifth starter to transfer from Tulane, joining defensive end Santana Hopper, linebacker Harvey Dyson, defensive tackle Tre’Von McAlpine, and running back Javin Gordon in the portal.

Sumrall was hired away from the Green Wave to be the next head coach of the Florida Gators. Considering Johnson’s breakout campaign, he may want to continue playing for a familiar face if that option is on the table.

Four key Gophers will be back in 2026

Published

5 hours ago

December 25, 2025

Your Sports Nation

PHOENIX — Four important Gopher football players were part of a unique media campaign on Tuesday.

The social media posts were “presented by Cub Foods,” and those players will be recipients of the grocer’s NIL contribution next year. Dinkytown Athletes serves as a subcontractor.

Athletics Director Mark Coyle called Cub Foods a “foundational partner” of Gopher sports.

“That is how we take the next step, with that type of involvement with NIL side of it,” Coyle told the Pioneer Press. “We are so grateful for their support.”

“I really haven’t thought about that stuff,” Taylor said. “I’m just worried about the game. I will figure all that out after the game.”

Smith said he hasn’t ruled out entering the transfer portal. “I don’t know,” he said.