Ohio State: 220 Buckeyes earned nearly $3 million in NIL deals in 6 months

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio State announced Monday the athletics department is creating an "NIL Edge Team" to help athletes continue to navigate through the name, image and likeness era.

The first six months saw 220 Buckeyes engage in 608 reported NIL activities with a total compensation value of $2.98 million. All three figures rank No. 1 nationally, according to Opendorse.

“Our guidelines were initially created to be restrictive, but now that we have a better understanding of NIL, it’s clear that we can provide more assistance in connecting student-athletes with interested brands," said Carey Hoyt, Ohio State senior associate athletics director and primary administrator for OSU's NIL programs. said. "By allowing some OSU staff to interact with the brands and to educate and answer questions, we can eliminate hesitancy from brands, and donors, who were concerned about breaking rules.”

The university says the Edge Team will assist student-athletes with access and resources to pursue NIL opportunities. Ohio State also says the Edge Team may work with companies and brands to assist in the NIL process, and have flexibility to monitor and adapt to changing guidelines and legislation.