Oklahoma Partners with INFLCR to Assist with New Name, Image and Likeness Rules

INFLCR with serve OU's Foundry Program that was specifically designed to help Sooners athletes in NIL ventures.

One of the biggest stories in sports this week is the massive changing of the college sports landscape in regards to athletes’ new ability to profit off of their own name, image and likeness.

Oklahoma has been aggressive and forward thinking in this realm, establishing “The Foundry” late last year to help their athletes with NIL ventures whenever the opportunity for them to profit off of them became available.

Now, they have enlisted outside help with INFLCR, pronounced as “Influencer,” to assist with NIL monitoring, education and media support.

"As with every aspect of our university and department, we will provide opportunities to our student-athletes that are second to none," Oklahoma Vice President and athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a release. “This partnership provides yet another advantage for those who pursue their education and sports careers in our department. We have a comprehensive NIL approach designed to help our student-athletes achieve at their highest level."

Joe Castiglione :: Ty Russell / OU Athletics

INFLCR’s official website touts “1,000+” teams that “trust” them nationwide to handle these types of athlete brand-building ventures.

"Oklahoma Athletics has done a great job of investing resources into a first-rate creative team that leverages the rich tradition of the Sooner brand and will now provide this content in real time to their student-athletes through INFLCR," INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale said in the release. "Now, those student-athletes can share that content to social media and grow their brand value."

Per the same release, Oklahoma looked into multiple companies for help in this area before settling on INFLCR.

Spencer Rattler :: Pool photo / Josh Gateley

"Our conversations with INFLCR always felt like a natural fit," senior associate athletics director Kenny Mossman said. "We have carved out a reputation as a forward-thinking department when it comes to branding, communications and compliance. INFLCR shares those goals and has tailored a cutting-edge product line that helps us move confidently into a new era of college athletics."

As the landscape of collegiate sports undergoes this massive overhaul, INFLCR looks to be a key way for the Sooners to help their athletes navigate the waters of maximizing their value while staying within the NCAA’s guidelines. Time will tell how this all shakes out, but on the surface this looks to be another fascinating development in this continually unfolding story.