Oregon Basketball Rival Signs Landmark NIL Deal With Great Osobor

Oregon Ducks rival is attacking the NIL space hard with its $2 million package for Utah State transfer Great Osobor, according to a report from ESPN.

Mar 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Utah State Aggies forward Great Osobor (1) dribbles against Purdue / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

EUGENE - The name, image, and likeness era has made many collegiate athletes big financial earners in the few short years since its implementation. Stars like Shedeur Sanders, Dillon Gabriel have cleared the million-dollar mark in NIL earnings.

College sports fans like to point the finger at other programs for ‘buying their teams’ but it seems every team is liable to make big payments if their NIL collectives are on board. After transferring from Utah State, Osobor will make in excess of $2 million as part of his NIL package with the Huskies, according to ESPN.

This makes Osobor the highest-valued player in men’s college basketball, joining Washington just in time for their opening season in the Big Ten Conference. Osobor has had a winding road to where he is now, growing up in England before signing with Montana State to begin his college career.

Mar 24, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Utah State Aggies forward Great Osobor (1) dribbles against Purdue / Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports

After successful freshman and sophomore seasons there, Osobor made his way to Utah State for his junior season with the Aggies. One of the premier players in the Mountain West Conference in 2023, Osobor contributed 17.7 points per game with 9 rebounds per game for an Aggies squad that went an impressive 28-7 in the 2023-2024 season.

Oregon has been at the center of the NIL space recently, particularly in football with quarterback Dillon Gabriel and wide receiver Evan Stewart both in the top 10 nationally for NIL valuations for the 2024 season. It’s no secret that Division Street, Oregon’s NIL collective, is one of the best-funded and most innovative in the country.

As Washington migrates to the Big Ten alongside Oregon, it appears they’re attempting to place themselves on similar footing in this growing aspect of college athletics.