NCAA Blocks Oklahoma State From Placing NIL QR Codes on Helmet
Oklahoma State’s new NIL strategy will not be happening.
Earlier this month, OSU announced it would add QR codes to the back of its helmets, with a link to the general team fund. On Saturday, about an hour before kickoff, the team announced that QR codes would not be permitted on the helmets, per NCAA rules.
Despite there being no QR codes on the back of the helmets, OSU will still display QR codes on all of the other spots it had originally planned. The QR codes will still appear on players’ bag tags and the video board inside Boone Pickens Stadium, along with a few other spots.
"We disagree with the interpretation of the rule but will abide by it and work with the appropriate groups to lead on the needed change," OSU Athletic Director Chad Weiberg said. "Our people came up with an innovative concept to raise the NIL value of our student-athletes, but ultimately, it just serves as the latest example of how college sports are evolving at a faster pace than the rule book."
Although this is a setback for the Cowboys’ NIL campaign, it appears the team is ready to adapt and find other ways to innovate in the NIL realm.
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Ivan is a sports media student at Oklahoma State University. He has covered OSU athletics since 2022 and also covers the OKC Thunder for Inside The Thunder and Thunderous Intentions.