Ohio State's Emeka Egbuka Explains If NIL Helped Some Players Decide To Return

The Ohio State Buckeyes are returning a bunch of players to this year's roster, who were actually draft eligible after last year. Emeka Egbuka explains if NIL was a factor.

Jul 23, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka speaks to the media during the Big 10 football media day at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports / Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Emeka Egbuka was one of three players to represent the Ohio State Buckeyes in Indianapolis for Big Ten Media Day. The experienced college wide receiver was also one of many Ohio State players who decided to forego the 2024 NFL Draft and return to Columbus for one more season.

Due to so many Buckeyes choosing to return for the 2024-25 season, the talk surrounding Ohio State has been about the talent and veteran leadership being able to potentially carry this team to special results this coming season.

When taking a look back at why so many players decided to return, there seemed to be many factors. Was NIL a factor? Egbuka discussed that aspect when he got his turn at the microphone on Tuesday afternoon.

"It's just given us an opportunity to be able to make money, which I don't think is a bad thing," stated Egbuka. "I think it had some implications as to why some of the guys decided to come back for their senior year because the NFL is always going to be there. That money is always going to be there. We're able to make a little bit of an earning while we're here in college, so I think it's a bonus."

Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) looks for room to run after making a catch during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Rutgers Scarlet Knights at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Although Egbuka clearly states that being able to make money while playing in college helps aid the decision to return, it certainly seems like that was not the sole factor for most of the players. It may have not even been a factor for some of them.

One thing that Egbuka, Denzel Burke and Jack Sawyer seemed to be in unison on when speaking on Tuesday was the fact that as a group, the older players have a desire to still accomplish unachieved goals. They all want to have a pair of gold pants from beating the Michigan Wolverines prior to leaving Ohio State. Not only that, but they have aspirations of winning the Big Ten and a National Championship. The common goals as a group seem to be their driving force.

This is something that Ryan Day has mentioned several times. He discussed this with FOX college football analyst Joel Klatt recently in a sit-down interview and touched on it again at Big Ten Media Day. Once a few players started to announce their decision to return, the decisions to return started pouring in because these guys have some unfinished business.

Prior to the NIL era of college football, it seemed like many players felt the need to just take the money and go to the NFL, even if they felt the desire to take care of unfinished business at the collegiate level. Now, the players know that they can stay, strive to achieve goals and potentially even improve their draft stock while making money. Then they can take the jump to the NFL when they feel ready and the time comes.

For the college football traditionalists, the significant changes in this sport have probably been hard to welcome. The implementation of NIL has certainly not been flawless in its execution either. From a player's perspective though, NIL just gives a little bit more security and might actually help them make the best decision for their future.