Phil Knight’s NIL Juggernaut Cut Down by Nike School With Own $20 Million Roster

Wednesday’s College Football Playoff quarterfinal featured two of the most expensive rosters in the sport, and the one funded by Nike cofounder Phil Knight lost big.

Eighth-seeded Ohio State jumped to a 34–0 lead over undefeated No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl. The Ducks mounted a modest recovery but still fell 41–21.

This was the second meeting between the two sides this season, the first of which Washington coach Jedd Fisch called the “battle of two $20 million rosters.” (His school’s former athletic director who departed for Nebraska, Troy Dannen, put that figure at $23 million for both Ohio State and Oregon.) Oregon won 32–31 in October.

With a net worth of about $35 billion, Knight is a prolific donor to his alma mater, with his total donations to the university crossing the billion-dollar mark. The Oregon track alum is a longtime supporter of its athletic department, and it is one of the country’s biggest backers of name, image, and likeness. He cofounded Division Street Collective to facilitate NIL for Oregon athletes and has pumped millions into the effort. Knight played a “huge, big role” in flipping a top prospect from Ohio State to Oregon in early December, according to the player, who said Knight is going to help him make a signature shoe.

Feedback like that doesn’t dissuade the rumor that Oregon has “unlimited” NIL funds from Knight, who at 86, is desperate for his Ducks to win their first football title. The last time his team made it to the national championship was in January 2015, when Oregon lost 42–20 to none other than Ohio State.

In Columbus, on top of landing big transfers this offseason, the Buckeyes retained a slew of NFL-caliber players who wanted another chance to compete for the national title. It’s a nice sentiment, but also an expensive one. Ohio State athletic director Ross Bjork told ESPN in August its football NIL funds totaled $20 million this year.

The final twist of the knife is that Ohio State is a longtime Nike school. In early 2016, the two sides extended their partnership for 15 more years and $252 million, meaning Knight’s company paid his rival an average of $16.8 million this year.

Ohio State moves on to the Cotton Bowl to play another NIL powerhouse in Texas. Oregon and Knight head back to the drawing board.