Oregon football has 'unlimited' NIL backing from Nike

Oregon football and Nike founder Phil Knight are in it to win it. And that means, according to a recent report, that the Big Ten program is set to spend in pursuit of a national championship.

That’s the buzz about the Oregon football program following a recent report from Sirius XM that Nike CEO Phil Knight is all-in on funding his program’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) campaign. Knight, the report said, desperately wants a national championship for his alma mater and is committed to providing the financial resources necessary to get there.

During his show on SiriusXM last week, former Washington and UCLA head coach Rick Neuheisel said that Knight is willing to find whatever it takes to get Oregon a national championship. Knight is the Nike founder is 86 years old.

Whatever Knight is providing, seems to be working. In the immediate, Oregon is finding success, with the second-ranked class in the nation in the transfer portal.

And in high school recruiting, Oregon’s class of 2025 is fourth in the nation (but is the highest in the nation in average in the On3 Industry Rankings). Of their 15 commits in the 2025 class, two are ranked five stars and 12 are four-star recruits.

Rick Neuheisel on ESPN CFB XM said he was at a recent coaches event, and it’s no secret Phil Knight is supplying Oregon unlimited NIL resources. Rick said Phil is 86, he desperately wants to see a championship, so they’re willing to pay whatever it takes.

— JBook. (@JBook_37) July 5, 2024

The implications for high school recruiting are obviously massive. With what is essentially unlimited NIL money, Oregon’s already impressive recruiting will be unstoppable.