Sooner Sports Properties named exclusive NIL Partner for OU Athletics

Oklahoma announced a significant update to its name, image and likeness (NIL) operations on Tuesday.

The Sooners announced that Sooner Sports Properties will be the exclusive NIL marketing partner for OU Athletics. Sooner Sports Properties — operated by Learfield — and 1Oklahoma, OU’s current NIL partner, are merging all NIL operations into a single entity. This new operation will continue under the 1Oklahoma brand.

The goal is to maximize NIL dealmaking efforts for OU’s student athletes as well as streamline and centralize all NIL efforts for the athletics department.

“As the landscape and rules governing college athletics continue to evolve, we are constantly looking for innovative ways to stay ahead of the curve and create significant NIL growth opportunities to our student-athletes,” OU athletics director Joe Castiglione said in a press release. “Centralizing efforts through our trusted partner, Learfield/Sooner Sports Properties, allows us to immediately expand what we already have in place and deliver pioneering NIL opportunities that build long-term value for our athletes and our program.”

According to a press release, OU athletics has recently began groundbreaking programs with Fowler Automotive, State Farm, Devon and Planet Fitness, among others. Sooner Sports Properties helps brand partners integrate student-athlete storytelling with school intellectual property, including OU marks and logos, leading to next-level brand engagement with Sooners fans.

The announcement comes one day before OU coach Brent Venables, John Mateer, Robert Spears-Jennings and R Mason Thomas are set to appear at SEC Media Days in Atlanta, Georgia.

Read more about the announcement here.