The near complete 180 that NIL has done to College Athletics is still mind-boggling even three full years after the NCAA legalized it.

No team has tried to use name image and likeness to their advantage more than Ohio State Football has.

During this week’s BIG 10 Media Days, Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork revealed that his players bring in a stunning $20 million in NIL endorsement deals.

With Ohio State’s rule requiring each of its athletes to disclose their NIL agreements within 30 days of receiving them, it’s very easy to tell how much the Buckeyes are shelling out.

Buckeye football’s $20 million NIL budget is expected to be the largest of any football program in the nation.

Such a big budget has helped Ohio State to vastly improve their roster through the transfer portal.

K-State QB Will Howard, Alabama safety Caleb Downs, and Ole Miss running back Quinshon Judkins headline the Buckeye’s 9th-ranked transfer portal class which hopes to help get them over the hump.

Last season Ohio State finished number ten in the final poll after finishing with an 11-2 record, suffering a 3-14 loss against Missouri in the Cotton Bowl.

Head Coach Ryan Day finds his seat starting to heat up a little bit following three straight losses to Michigan and just one College Football playoff wins since being hired in 2019.

In those five seasons, Day is just 1-4 against top ten teams and 1-3 against top five teams.

As for the off-the-field NIL deals, don’t expect Ohio State to be slowing down anytime soon.

“We all are going to follow Title IX,” Ohio State AD Ross Bjork said “It applies to our athletic programs, universities, all of those things. But this is a new pocket of financial aid or compensation, a new bucket that was not contemplated when only financial aid and just grants-in-aid were talked about in the original Title IX legislation. We need a lot of analysis. What does the legal analysis say around this newfound bucket of money?”