Ohio State Buckeyes Receiving Aid in Handling NIL Obligations and Busy Schedules

Ohio State Buckeyes football players are getting help navigating their extremely busy schedules.

Sept. 21, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Bennett Christian (85) and Ohio State Buckeyes tight end Jelani Thurman (15) block for Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) during the first half of an NCAA Division I football game against the Marshall University Thundering Herd at Ohio Stadium on Saturday. / Barbara J. Perenic/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

It takes a lot of hard work to be a collegiate athlete. Not only do you have to keep up with your studies away from the field, but you have to excel in your discipline as well.

The better you perform on the field, court or mat, the more NIL opportunities that will come your way, too.

How do these student-athletes find time to handle all of these responsibilities? The Ohio State Buckeyes football team is showing that it is possible with the right kind of assistance.

Given how many demands there are on these teenagers and young adults, they are turning to NIL management companies to help in every facet. Former All-American cornerback and current NBC4 Buckeye analyst Chimdi Chekwa is leading the charge.

He has partnered with Sam Storts of BILT Connections, a NIL company that was recently formed, to help athletes expand their NIL horizons. 

They are being introduced to smaller, emerging businesses that many not put as much money in their hand right now, but won’t take their attention away from other obligations they have.

“When we look at NIL today, we only think about the athlete making money right now, but there’s an opportunity for them to build knowledge, experience and generate income for the long term.” Chekwa said, via Jerod Smalley of NBC4i.com. 

These are great alternatives for the players on the team. So much of their days are already jam-packed with things they need to do, whether it is class or practice.

No one wants to miss out on the opportunity to miss money, but as head coach Ryan Day stated, the order of their priorities is clear.

“These guys understand what the main thing is right now,” Day said. “You know, during the off-season, there’s certainly great opportunities. But, you know, unless it’s something that’s really pressing, you know, they need to take care of their academics first and then football.”

In connection with the Columbus Chamber of Commerce, BILT is able to give players those opportunities even in season. They can match players up with companies who have similar interests to them, which creates a partnership they can all benefit from.

“If the athlete now has equity in his business, it’s not just creating an NIL deal; it’s really giving that athlete an opportunity to own something and grow it,” Chekwa said.

These are the kinds of opportunities that will change kids’ lives in the long run. Not everyone is going to cash in and make millions in the NFL, but these opportunities created by Chekwa and Storts provide the athletes without professional futures to be set up for post-college life.