The Ohio State football program has taken a very cautious approach to how they are using NIL. After the House Settlement, Ross Bjork decided that he wasn't going to use any third-party collectives to help facilitate NIL deals, despite other teams doing that.
This approach has led the Buckeyes to miss out on several high-level recruits to this point. A lot of those kids have decided to commit to programs that have offered them more money than the Ohio State Buckeyes did. Now, things look much better for the Buckeyes.
New NIL rules have come down that seem to have proven Bjork correct. Now, a lot of those recruits likely won't have their NIL deals approved, meaning that they could reopen their recruitment. That's when Ryan Day and the Buckeyes could swoop in and snag them.
New NIL rules might be beneficial for the Ohio State football program
According to Dan Murphy of ESPN, programs can no longer guarantee an NIL deal from third-party collectives. All deals must involve a "direct activation" as well.
Per sources, the NCAA's D1 Board of Directors adopted a couple new NIL rule changes today:
— Dan Murphy (@DanMurphyESPN) October 2, 2025
1)Schools can no longer guarantee a player any money from a 3rd-party NIL deal (verbally or in writing).
2) And all collective/booster deals must include a specific "direct activation."
It seems that the College Sports Commission is trying to keep spending in check. NIL GO, the CSC's NIL authority, has been slow to approve deals. So much so that NIL collectives have started paying anyway, according to a story from Front Office Sports.
Bjork might eventually be vindicated for his wait-and-see approach to handling NIL money, but it's still too early to tell. The greatest question lingering over everything is how this will be enforced. If there are no punishments doled out for violating the new rules, then what's the point?
Nothing about this process has been smooth sailing, and that's not a surprise. The NCAA has been slow to act at almost every turn, and that's why programs are in this mess. The Buckeyes will keep doing what they are doing, hopeful that schools won't be able to pay up on their agreed-upon deals.