Ohio State brought back an impressive amount of talent and brought in a handful of the best players from the transfer portal ahead of the 2024 season, but it certainly came with a cost.
Buckeyes players received “around $20 million” from the school’s name, image and likeness (NIL) collectives and brand affiliates over the past year, Ohio State’s athletic director Ross Bjork told Yahoo Sports. The money given to student-athletes through collectives and brand affiliates is typically raised by the school’s donors.
[Related: ‘All chips in’ for Ohio State after unprecedented offseason of acquisition, retention]
That $20 million figure is believed to be the most NIL money paid out over the past year, according to Yahoo Sports. Not all NIL deals with student-athletes are made public. However, Ohio State requires its student-athletes to disclose any NIL agreement within 30 days of receiving compensation.
“You’re only dealing with your program,” Bjork told reporters of Ohio State’s NIL ranking. “I don’t know how to compare it. I know what we’ve done here. I know the groundwork was laid before I got here. I know how aggressive everyone wanted to be in the offseason. So this is where we are.”
The cost of Ohio State’s football roster seems to be steadily increasing in the early years of the NIL era. During a June 2022 meeting with business leaders, head coach Ryan Day said that Ohio State needed $13 million in NIL money to help maintain its roster, so the 2024 number is roughly a 50 percent increase from that mark.
The amount of NIL money spent by collectives and brand affiliates could change in the future. Following the House v. NCAA settlement in May, schools will be able to directly pay student-athletes. Bjork said he isn’t sure how much that will change NIL spending yet.
[Related: House v. NCAA settlement: What it means, why it happened and what happens next?]
“It’s too early to predict,” Bjork told Yahoo Sports. “How is it going to be broken down from a Title IX standpoint? The challenge is, we’re up against the clock. We’re signing athletes in football in December. We need some clarity sometime this fall.”
As for this season, the Buckeyes made a lot of moves to justify that increase in NIL spending. Nearly all of their top draft-eligible players with remaining college eligibility opted to stay in Columbus for the 2024 season. Running back TreVeyon Henderson, wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, offensive lineman Donovan Jackson, cornerback Denzel Burke, defensive end Jack Sawyer, defensive end JT Tuimoloau and defensive tackle Tyleik Williams headline that group. All seven players made an All-Big Ten team last season.
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In addition, the team added running back Quinshon Judkins and safety Caleb Downs along with quarterbacks Will Howard and Julian Sayin from the transfer portal. Judkins was a two-time first-team All-SEC selection at Ole Miss and Downs won SEC Freshman of the Year at Alabama last season. Meanwhile, Howard helped Kansas State win the Big 12 in 2022 and Sayin was one of the top quarterback recruits in the Class of 2024.
Of course, there’s a big reason why Ohio State’s NIL collectives spent major money this offseason. The Buckeyes have lost to Michigan in each of the past three seasons and watched their hated rival win the national championship in 2023.
Can Ohio State snap its three-game losing streak to Michigan?
Ohio State’s offseason roster moves have made it the favorite to win the Big Ten in 2024. The Buckeyes also hold the second-best odds to win the national championship.
Now, it’s on the players to prove that they’re worth the money.
“I feel like we have all the chips in,” Burke said at Big Ten Media Days. “It’s a new day and age now with NIL, so it’s our job to fit the standard and do what we’ve gotta do so we can stay above that. I’m really just excited for this year. We’ve got a lot of talent, but talent doesn’t mean anything. You’ve still got to line up, put the football down and compete.”
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