Ohio State Football: NIL turning into a strong suit

When it first became a thing, the Ohio State Football program had a big problem wrapping their arms around NIL. They were one of the worst Power 5 programs in terms of NIL spending. Programs like Maryland and Washington were outspending them.

Since then, people associated with the Buckeyes have stepped up and have done a better job of organizing collectives. More of them have sprung up in the last few months which has allowed the program to allocate more funds to current players and recruits.

This is good because it keeps the Ohio State Football program from falling behind when it comes to recruiting. NIL is being used by a lot of programs to grab recruits. A lot of these prospects are just choosing the place that will offer them the most money.

Whether or not you agree with the concept of these college athletes getting paid six to seven figures in NIL money, it’s not going anywhere. NIL is here to stay. Once that Pandora’s Box was opened, it’s not getting closed again. The Buckeyes have decided to adapt instead of die.

I’ll give credit to Gene Smith and Ryan Day. Day knew from the moment that NIL became legal that this was going to need to be a big priority. He knew from the jump. It took Smith a little longer to catch up to the type of thinking that was needed, but he’s there now.

The more collectives that partner with the program, the better. As big as Ohio State is and for as much money as the football program rakes in, there’s no reason that they should be falling behind in something like this. In fact, they should be one of the leaders.

I look forward to seeing how the Buckeyes continue to adapt to this ever-changing landscape.