COLUMBUS, Ohio —Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork met with the media on Thursday afternoon to provide updates on Ohio State athletics and the broader state of college athletics, particularly following the House Settlement by Judge Claudia Wilken, which institutionalizes NIL rights and permits schools to directly compensate student-athletes through revenue sharing for a total of up to $20.5 million per year, which is actually institutional NIL rights. To support and streamline the revenue sharing efforts, Ohio State established the Buckeye Sports Group.
Bjork addressed topics including NIL revenue sharing plans, athletic department initiatives, game-day experiences, the transfer portal, college football governance, and the College Football Playoff. You can find the highlights of what was said below.
Ross Bjork
+ The “bookends” of college athletics are that student-athletes go to class and play games. Everything else in between has changed and will continue to evolve, but those two priorities remain constant.
+ Bjork announced the upcoming retirement of Ohio State associate AD and 15-year football sports information director, Jerry Emig.
+ This is an exciting time for Ohio State. The university had a successful year, especially academically, with its best academic year ever. 97% of student-athletes were either employed, in graduate/professional school, or playing professionally after graduation. There were three major events at Ohio Stadium and 311 total events across all venues, with more than 1,900 events held in athletic facilities. Ohio State had a record fundraising year at $80 million and generated over $800 million in total economic impact. The athletic department now has a $300 million operating budget, the first ever, and is working to enhance the game-day atmosphere and facility usage. In addition, the university is incorporating HR advice for nonprofits to strengthen organizational efficiency, foster staff development, and ensure long-term sustainability of its athletic and academic programs.
+ The Buckeye Sports Group consolidates NIL resources previously spread across collectives, Learfield, and others, under one umbrella. While the individuals from the collectives remain involved, the new model functions as a marketing agency that facilitates agreements between student-athletes and businesses and does SaaS research and insights. There is no specific target number yet on what Ohio State expects to generate outside of funds directly from the school, but growth is the goal.
+ A new Center for Sports Intelligence & Strategy has been formed at Ohio State as a centralized resource for coaches. Rather than relying on a general manager model, this center will focus on data, sports science, performance, and strategic innovation to meet the evolving demands of college athletics.
+ Regarding the House Settlement, Bjork explained that $18 million will be distributed across all sports (from a total of $20.5 million, minus $2.5 million for new scholarships that count against the cap). Anytime a new scholarship is added – in any sport – whether it’s one, five or 91 like Ohio State did, that has to count against the $20.5 million, up to $2.5 million. Ohio State started with $20.5 million, minus $2.5 million for 91 added scholarships, leaving $18 million to distribute to its sports programs. Allocation will start with women’s volleyball, women’s basketball, men’s basketball, and football, while maintaining Title IX compliance and using performance-based metrics. This marks the most revenue directly allocated to student-athletes in history. A College Sports Commission was created to oversee rules related to the House Settlement across college sports. The NCAA will continue to enforce its existing regulations. Binding arbitration is in place for NIL GO decisions, which is an approval process for NIL deals outside of the institution-issued NIL funds. Bjork emphasized that they still need Congressional action to preempt state laws, to formally classify student-athletes as non-employees but some other category, and to provide legal liability protections.
+ As to what makes up the $18 million, Bjork said sport-specific metrics helped determine allocations, but the coaches will finalize it from there and determine how to allocate that within their program.
+ On the SEC’s public stance on college football changes, Bjork said that public debate is unhelpful. He prefers to work through official channels where the authority lies and maintain collaboration with colleagues. “We know we can fix it— We just have to come back together.”
+ On the attempt to move the Ohio State vs. Texas season-opener to Sunday night, Bjork noted that Ohio State initiated discussions last fall due to a high number of noon games last season. While Texas declined the change and FOX was supportive, the rigid TV contracts really prevented the move. Ohio State continues to advocate for more flexibility in scheduling marquee night games. The Big Ten is working with the TV partners but the contracts are rigid and locked in for a period of time, which poses challenges.
+ On balancing NIL with Title IX, Bjork stated they are proud of maintaining a near 50-50 balance in support for male and female athletes. While revenue sharing and NIL aren’t directly subject to Title IX, the university remains committed to equitable support, aided by the Buckeye Sports Group’s distribution model. The market may dictate different numbers, but they are in a great position to support female athletes.
+ On international athletes remain unable to receive NIL compensation due to visa restrictions, Bjork said they are actively seeking legal guidance to find solutions while prioritizing student-athlete protection.
+ When Bjork was asked about whether the $18 million is enough when rumors are that schools need $30-40 million to build a good roster in football, Bjork noted that every program has the same House-mandated cap and that excess compensation must be approved through NIL GO, and must be market-based and meet other legal criteria in order to be approved. The current system can’t be compared to previous NIL frameworks; this one carries legal precedent and durability.
+ Ohio State remains engaged at the state level while advocating for a federal NIL bill. Bjork sees a need for more regulation around agents and representation.
+ On the plan for Alston payments at Ohio State, Bjork said that their Alston payments have been folded into scholarships to avoid counting against the cap, with an increased scholarship budget as a result.
+ On choosing to start with women’s volleyball as one of the sports receiving a distribution, Bjork emphasized Ohio State’s leadership in the Big Ten at the sport and the increased attention on the sport the last few years.
+ Bjork declined to discuss specific sport-by-sport allocations within the $18 million.
+ On the College Football Playoff expansion, Bjork believes Ohio State is well-positioned under the 4-team model but supports expansion to 12 or 16 teams. Players want to play high-level games and the content drives more opportunities for student-athletes. Having play-in games leading to automatic qualifying spots could eliminate some of the committee dynamics and decisions. He is on board with expansion but it has to be the right model and has to align with scheduling marquee regular-season games like they have on the schedule in the future with Texas, Alabama, and Georgia.
+ On the transfer portal window timelines, Bjork said there are ongoing conversations involving the College Sports Commission, NCAA governance, and conference commissioners and there’s a question of where the transfer portal should sit. The goal is to establish a comprehensive calendar that integrates bye weeks, academics, portal openings, signing periods, and CFP scheduling — everything needs to fold into the calendar.
+ On whether student-athletes should be classified as employees, Bjork acknowledged the complexities involving academic balance, work type, and varying state laws. He believes employment status could threaten the economics of college sports and potentially eliminate some sports, but he does support exploring a different classification framework. Those conversations are happening but they are continuing to flesh that out.
+ Regarding the potential cap on Ohio State football’s earning power and whether this is viewed as a cap on the potential amount they could have had, Bjork said that while everyone faces the same cap, it’s now about strategy and analytics. Ohio State has relied on Matt Patricia’s expertise and valuing each position so that head coach Ryan Day has a better idea of how to use his NIL resources. “We will always be at the front of the game from a competitive standpoint.”
+ The newly-created Center for Sports Intelligence & Strategy, as announced by Ohio State on Thursday, will support scheduling decisions, in-state vs. out-of-state recruiting data, budget consistency, contract management, sports performance, and west coast travel logistics. The goal is to unify resources across programs for all coaches at Ohio State. Previously, administrators were scattered out across sports.
+ On the Buckeye Sports Group and in-house NIL operations, Bjork said they will actively match companies with athletes, manage contracts, and handle content and communications. Learfield is hiring four additional staff, and Ohio State is adding one as well.
+ On the role of the alumni base and the city of Columbus in NIL revenue, Bjork said there’s a lot of potential for growth. They are leveraging the brand and city to attract recruits and are working with Varsity O to involve former student-athletes who stayed in or have returned to Columbus. This is where Ohio State has an advantage outside of the House-mandated cap.
+ On improving the game-day experience at The Shoe, Bjork said night games are a priority and innovation is key. The department is exploring ways to modernize while preserving tradition such as enhancing the video board, ribbon boards, sound systems, music, tunnel/ramp elements, introductions, the band, the victory bell, etc. “The plan is really, really strong, and I think our fans are going to gravitate toward it,” he said.
+ On some sport programs receiving less NIL money due to the House Settlement, Bjork said culture and recruiting must remain strong. The $18 million figure is a starting point and will grow each year and they hope to be able to expand to more than four sports. While external NIL deals still require NIL GO approval, they present new opportunities outside of that cap. “This is just one moment in an evolving landscape.”
+ On maintaining 36 varsity sports, Bjork affirmed the university’s commitment to retaining all programs. This decision reflects legacy, history, legal considerations, and the importance of broad participation. “That’s the priority, and we’re going to stick to that because it’s the right thing to do.”
+ On the “sleepy crowd” narrative at The Shoe, Bjork said technology and tradition both play roles. For example, moving the band to the north end zone allows the Block O to expand. He mentioned possible additions like pom-poms or towels for fans. Ongoing projects aim to modernize the stadium and provide infrastructure updates as well. “We’re doing a comprehensive master plan study on the stadium.”
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Photo via Ohio State Dept. of Athletics.
