Was Ohio State's Roster Bought With NIL Money?

Matt Rhule says it takes more than NIL money to build what the Buckeyes have.

The Ohio State Buckeyes host Nebraska on Saturday at Noon ET in a Big Ten matchup on Fox. / Adam Cairns / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ohio State has been one of college football's best programs since the sport began.

The Buckeyes have had as much success as any program historically and recently. Every single year Ohio State is in the conversation for the national championship and the College Football Playoff. Since the NIL era began, the Buckeyes have not slowed down at all. Instead, they have continued to assemble rosters that include some of the best talent in the country.

Nebraska head coach Matt Rhule knows his Huskers are in for an incredible challenge when they face the Buckeyes on Saturday. He spoke on Monday about Ohio State’s talent and the way that their head coach, Ryan Day, has built his program. 

Rhule does not think the Buckeyes have merely bought their players but instead gives credit to Ohio State's winning tradition contributing to their success in roster building.

“I want to first give credit to Ryan Day," Rhule said. "Those guys are at Ohio State because Ohio State wins, and players want to go to a winner. While there is an NIL component to everybody, Ryan's won, Urban (Meyer) won, Jim Tressel won, Ohio State has won a ton. Kids want to go be a part of one of the best programs in the country, one of the best receiving corps over the last however many years. Great all first-round quarterbacks."

Rhule thinks Ohio State’s winning tradition and ability to put players in the NFL matter more than however much NIL money they spend. He spoke about former OSU coaches Urban Meyer and Jim Tressel and how they were able to have success before schools were allowed to compensate players based on their name, image and likeness.

He does not think Ohio State's roster is all about how much money they have spent. Instead, it is about players wanting to play for a great program. It is his goal to get Nebraska to the same level. 

"No one knows the impact of NIL, but to me, Ohio State's roster is not about NIL, it's about guys saying 'I want to go play at a place that competes for championships,'" Rhule said. "For us to get to that point, we've got to win enough to justify players taking a chance on us until we're at the top of the mountain, and then everyone wants to come. You can’t have many 56-7 games. You’ve got to go compete at a high level. But we'll get there.”

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