Ex-Longhorns O-Lineman Tope Imade Rips Oklahoma's New NIL Collective

Former UT lineman questions whether Oklahoma's pockets are as deep as those at Texas.

Zach Dimmitt | Apr 26, 2022

Even after six years on the Forty Acres, former Texas Longhorns offensive lineman Tope Imade still seizes the opportunity to take jabs at the Oklahoma Sooners, which he did again on social media Friday.

After it was announced Friday that Oklahoma had launched its new NIL Collective, 1Oklahoma, Imade took to Twitter on the comparisons between that new venture and UT's Clark Field Collective.

Tope Imade

"We have enough to pay players and exit the conference," Imade said. "They definitely can’t say the same."

1Oklahoma will allow players to make up to $50,000 in NIL earnings by working with non-profits. Imade seems to think OU is overstepping its spending limits for players, something he feels is a walk in the park for Texas.

Tope Imade

It's possible he feels the lack of action by Oklahoma to pay an early exit fee to the Big 12 en route to the SEC is a telling sign about OU's ability to live up to its elite expectations.

Of course, Imade certainly has some alma mater bias here. Based on his argument, UT's lack of action to pay an exit fee to the SEC could receive the same amount of criticism he's directing at Oklahoma.

Tope Imade

Then again, the Longhorns seem to be one of NIL's most dominant forces at the moment. Since December, the program has installed three separate NIL initiatives that are focused on different things.

The Clark Field Collective dedicates $10 million in NIL earnings for all UT athletes, while "The Pancake Factory" initiative has $50,000 directed toward earnings for future and current Longhorn offensive lineman.

And earlier this month, UT announced an NIL partnership with Opendorse. Through this partnership, Longhorn athletes will be able to create their own Opendorse profile that will allow them to tailor it to what they hope to gain out of NIL. Once they create these profiles, they will be able to hear pitches for NIL opportunities from businesses, vendors, etc. and be compensated for them.

Imade is certainly keeping tabs on the successes and endeavors of Texas athletics. But in just one simple tweet, he made a solid point about why the Longhorns are one of the leaders in the world of NIL.

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Published Apr 26, 2022

ZACH DIMMITT