Ohio State football has dominated the transfer portal over the past few weeks. The Buckeyes continue to land commitments from talented players on both sides of the ball.
- Five-star Alabama safety Caleb Downs
- Five-star Alabama quarterback Julian Sayin
- Five-star Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins
- Alabama starting center Seth McLaughlin
- Kansas State starting quarterback Will Howard
NIL money is playing a direct role in their success, as it does across the entirety of college football. And now we know who is bank rolling (a very small) part of the operation!
C.J. Stroud dropped a bag.
Stroud, who is fresh off of a loss to the Ravens in the Divisional Round of the NFL playoffs, just finished his rookie year with the Houston Texans. He signed a four-year, $36.3 million deal after being drafted No. 2 overall. Every single penny is fully guaranteed. $23.38 million was paid upfront as a signing bonus.
Money is no object to the former Ohio State quarterback and his former university is benefitting from his wealth!
THE Foundation serves as the top NIL arm in Columbus. It announced Stroud as an official partner on Monday. He is the first former student-athlete to partner with the collective and did so on the ‘Platinum Donor’ level.
According to THE Foundation’s website, a Platinum Donor is someone who contributes anywhere between $50,000 and $100,000. If C.J. Stroud wasn’t a former signal-caller at the school, his donation would normally include the following perks:
- Meet and greet with Ohio State Student Athlete or former Ohio State Student Athlete
- Table at our next event with coaches and student athletes
- Two (2) pre-game field passes for an Ohio State football game
- Private Tour of Woody Hayes Facility
- Access to creative interviews and video segments
- Recognition at events via announcements & promotions
- Signed autograph football by Cardale Jones or J.T. Barrett
- Photo with Coach Day at THE Foundation’s next event
He obviously didn’t need to pay up to get any of those things.
Ohio State will hope this gets the ball rolling.
Stroud’s contribution to THE Foundation is not insignificant. However, based off of the current NIL market value, all five of the Buckeyes’ recently-acquired transfers are valued at more than $50K.
Stroud’s donation likely covers one semester for one of the five guys who are set to join the program. If that.
We don’t know what any of the signed NIL deals look like in terms of financial compensation, so it’s entirely speculation, but $50,000 doesn’t go nearly as far as it sounds. This move is worth more in terms of what it says to others.
THE Foundation will hope to best capitalize off of Stroud’s gift by using it as leverage. Cardale Jones serves as the General Manager of Ohio State’s NIL collective and will surely take this talent acquisition endowment to other former athletes with hopes that it will encourage them to do the same. Especially considering that there are 49 former Buckeyes in the NFL!
“C.J. Stroud was able to contribute this much, what can you do?” Something like that.
$50,000/$99,000 also helps to cover some of the tab that Ohio State racked up in the portal. Stroud getting involved is a big deal.