Ohio State's Unique Approach to Conquering NIL

Coach Ryan Day and the Buckeye's football program have implemented changes to their NIL program to help them achieve success

Ohio State head football coach Ryan Day / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch /

Ohio State has positioned their football team to be a heavy contender for a National Championship in 2024. How they got here and how they are strengthening their program on and off the field may be a model to follow.

Athletic director Gene Smith made it very clear to head football coach Ryan Day that Ohio State was going "all in" on their football program. Now, important to point out, the Buckeyes have never skimped on football but it was time to ramp up, especially in the NIL space.

Two factors were driving Smith - three consecutive losses to Michigan and his impending retirement on June 30, 2024.

Smith wanted to leave the program in a position to win Big Ten championships when former Texas A&M athletic director, Ross Bjork takes over.

In an interview with The Athletic, Smith said, “Where we are with football, not winning Big Ten championships, I wanted to make sure that we did everything we could to make sure football has a real chance next year,” Smith said. “When I think about my legacy, I think about that. I hate to leave Ohio State when football is not back to winning Big Ten championships.”

So, what did he do to up the ante? Priority number one was to raise more money. Instead of going about it the traditional way and doing all the calling himself, Smith enlisted the head coach.

The increase in donations would allow for upkeep to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center and an increase in the assistant salary pool from $9.3 million to $11.4 million. The most important pedal they pushed was to be more aggressive in the NIL offerings.

Most of Ohio State's impressive junior class returned. Marvin Harrison Jr and Michael Hall Jr will be missing but, the majority stayed and there are well-known reasons why the retention rate is so high. Many of them want to beat Michigan and compete for a national championship.

While the culture of the program and the incentive to win is important, NIL certainly was a huge factor in keeping hold of their star players.

Returning players was a key factor, but add in the Buckeye's success in the transfer portal and you have an equation for success.

Ohio State cashed in on Kansas State's starting quarterback Will Howard, Alabama starting center Seth McLaughlin, All-America safety Caleb Downs from Alabama, the No. 1 quarterback recruit in the 2024 class, Julian Sayin, and All-SEC running back Quinshon Judkins from Ole Miss.

The two NIL collectives at Ohio State, The Foundation and The 1870 Society have played pivotal roles in recruiting these stellar athletes.

Downs signed an exclusive deal with The Foundation while many others have executed contracts. Given that The Foundation has raised more than ten times what they had raised at the same time last year, signing athletes is an easier task.

The Buckeyes took a slower approach to NIL than many other schools. They didn't just jump in head first. There were questions they wanted answered, and quite honestly, they wanted to understand the program before fully supporting it.

Having the head coach take on a larger role in the fundraising efforts and making the phone calls himself has made all the difference.

The coach isn't just calling and asking for money. He has the ability and the knowledge to explain to the potential donors how NIL an impact and influence athletes.

Instead of having to work two or three jobs in order to pay the bills and live, NIL offers athletes the ability to focus on their skills and academics.

With the stakes high and competing schools having substantial NIL offerings, fundraising is at an all time high on the importance scale.

Being creative also matters. Donors can come in many sizes and shapes. The collectives are coming up with ways for the average person to be a donor like offering tours of the Woody Hayes Athletic Center that include meet-and-greets with players and coaches.

Ohio State took time to create the model that works for them and with their retention rate and success in the transfer portal, it is evident that what they are doing is attractive.