Stitt's executive order puts OU at the forefront of NIL endeavors

Weber echoed Castiglione’s statement, saying this model is something the two had envisioned and planned for when founding 1Oklahoma. Both see the ruling as a positive move that will position OU at the forefront of the NIL arms race.Hate it or love it, NIL is a growing landscape that will only get bigger over time. While the landscape may be uncertain, there’s no doubt these deals and transactions will play a big part in collegiate athletics for years to come.Bryan Bedford, CEO of Bedford Agency, saw the shift in the landscape and opened his own agency to help educate prospects and parents early in the process before they encounter NIL at the next level. The educator recognized the landscape’s uncertainty and partly attributed frustrations towards the structure to players’ ability to move freely without repercussions.
“We create subscriptions, sell merchandise, hold events, provide behind-the-scenes access — all things that give back to fans in a way that’s different than just donating,” Weber added. “So it’s a win for fans, a win for 1Oklahoma and, therefore, a win for the student-athletes.”“1Oklahoma is more like a marketing agency for our athletes, connecting them with opportunities that benefit the athletes,” the athletic director added. “This is another step for us to equip our athletes to take advantage of NIL opportunities.”Revenue sharing, which will begin in the 2025-26 academic year for all sports, refers to a projected cap that restricts collegiate NIL transactions. Starting July 1, schools will have roughly .5 million to distribute across all sports.Previously, collectives were the only acting parties allowed to deal out and conduct NIL transactions. Oklahoma launched its own exclusive collective, 1Oklahoma, last July when the Sooners joined the Southeastern Conference with the goal of raising revenue to distribute to the school’s student-athletes.“We’re literally building and flying the NIL plane at the same time, and I think everybody that’s walking through that would agree,” Bedford said. “I think the biggest complicating factor is really the unlimited movement of players. What’s made college so special is getting to watch a player for three or four years … Now it’s almost like unlimited free agency.”“As we look forward, we’re really bullish about where we’re going,” he added. “So yeah, looking back it might have been a problem, but in the last six or seven months we’ve gotten on track.”However, as Weber explained, this executive order allows the university to exceed that .5 million cap.“1Oklahoma is always going to play a valuable role as our exclusive NIL partner,” Castiglione said. “From the start, it was set up to be a different model for the transitions we now face. It’s not the collective that’s been; it’s the collective that should be.However, the pay-for-play model is certainly something that a lot of fans are having to get used to. Weber stated that even though some traditionalists may not be a fan of the new direction of collegiate athletics, NIL is the future and it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

“They say defense wins championships, right? So prepare yourself. Build a good defensive strategy … Every family and student-athlete should be doing that no matter what — then you can think about offense,” Bedford said. “Just have a plan of attack, and be aggressive with that plan. That should be an athlete’s mindset no matter if they’re in high school or college.”“1Oklahoma is the exclusive NIL partner for OU athletics, and our job is really to create revenue and dollars that allows us to contract with the student-athletes in this new world and make sure to help OU stay competitive,” 1Oklahoma CEO Jeff Weber said. “We’re creating businesses and revenue lines that make sense for fans that aren’t just about giving money.As previously reported, Governor Stitt’s Executive Order 2025-01 allows universities the luxury and ability to directly compensate their athletes for their name, image and likeness without fear of punishment or sanctions enforced by the NCAA.The 1Oklahoma CEO credited Castiglione for his forward-thinking vision when assessing the NIL landscape months ago and added that while the university’s NIL efforts might have been lacking in previous years, OU now has the proper framework in place to compete and succeed.Bedford’s best advice for prospective athletes seeking to make money off of their name, image and likeness at the next level is to have a plan so that they are prepared and know what to expect.Gov. Stitt’s recent executive order cast some uncertainty surrounding the future of 1Oklahoma. However, OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione cleared the air last in a statement announcing the collective will continue to operate alongside the university.“In July of this past year when we started [based on] Joe C’s vision about where the NIL industry is going, 1Oklahoma was set up, structured and built for that world,” Weber said, adding, “The executive order just puts a little structure in place and moves us down that path referred to as revenue share, which is targeted for July 1 of 2025.”“Joe C and the athletic department made the changes they needed to make last July, which really sort of give us the ability to go execute in a way that allows us to compete in this new world,” Weber said. “I think everyone understands that OU was behind in the space a year ago — that is simply not the case anymore. We’re very, very competitive.“NIL is here to stay. And if you don’t like it, ask yourself, do you like losing more or less than you like NIL? Because if we’re gonna win, we have to play in NIL. It’s as simple as that,” Weber said. “Coaching, development, recruiting — all of those things remain incredibly important, but NIL is another component that goes into that mix. And we have to compete if we want to win.”Following a recent state executive order, the University of Oklahoma aims to enhance its name, image and likeness efforts to better compete with other big-spending universities.“There’s university funds to support players — 1Oklahoma is on top of the amount the university can give. So every university can spend up to that .5 million number. Georgia, Texas, Oklahoma — all the same,” Weber said. “1Oklahoma is on top of that. It allows us to differentiate from Texas and Georgia and all the others and really have an advantage if we can execute well.”Weber added that these funds aren’t just for football — 1Oklahoma is spending more money across more sports more competitively. On a per-capita basis, Weber claimed NIL spending is up 300% across women’s sports.