Oklahoma made major changes to its NIL landscape on Monday.
The Sooners unveiled the 1Oklahoma collective as their exclusive NIL collective for the entire athletic department, a decisive move ahead of joining the SEC this summer. It’s the first time OU has thrown the full weight of its brand behind a collective from the beginning.
The move brings together the Crimson and Cream, The Sooner Nation Collective and 1 Oklahoma Collective. After jousting for funding, all efforts are consolidated under one umbrella.
On top of an announcement video featuring DeMarco Murray and other Oklahoma athletes and coaches, 1Oklahoma has also inked contracts with two of the most notable players on the Sooners football team. The collective has signed quarterback Jackson Arnold and top spring portal pickup Damonic Williams.
“1Oklahoma represents a natural next iteration of how we create opportunity for Student-Athletes at OU,” Oklahoma athletic director Joe Castiglione said in a statement. “This unified entity further cements OU as a leader in the NIL space and helps us serve our Student-Athletes and fans in new ways. By supporting, joining 1Oklahoma, members of Sooner Nation can have exclusive access to what goes into the creation of champions.”
Jackson Arnold, Damonic Williams key pieces for Oklahoma
A former Five-Star Plus+ recruit and top-10 prospect in the 2023 class, Arnold will start at quarterback in his second year with OU this fall. He played in the Sooners’ bowl game, tossing two touchdowns while being intercepted three times. The upside is there, part of the reason why Dillon Gabriel headed to Oregon for his final season of college football. Arnold shined in Oklahoma’s spring game, finishing 10-of-20 for 233 yards for two touchdowns.
The Sooners landed Williams from the portal this spring, a crucial pick up on the line of scrimmage ahead of their first season in the SEC. A true freshman All-American in 2022, the Sooners beat out LSU, Missouri and Texas for the TCU defensive tackle. As impactful as Williams can be for Oklahoma’s defensive line, the transfer win signified the Sooners can compete in NIL and are ready for the SEC. He totaled 60 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in two seasons with the Horned Frogs.
On top of signing Arnold and Williams, 1Oklahoma also signed gymnast Ava Siegfeldt and women’s basketball players Reyna Scott and Skylar Vann.
The NIL collective plans to focus on providing subscription content, events and experiences, merchandise lines, and exciting corporate partnerships, among other commerce-based business lines. Jeff Weber, a former executive at AT&T, the CEO of Zone TV and the founder of The Dubs Group, an NIL marketing agency, has been appointed as the collective’s CEO. A 1986 Oklahoma graduate, the collective will offer to several different subscription tiers.
“At 1Oklahoma, we are not merely altering the approach to NIL. We are establishing a new benchmark to empower Student-Athletes to focus on their game and providing real ROI to businesses and value to consumers,” Weber said.
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