Jim Nagy has learned quickly that the job at Oklahoma comes with a wrinkle college football used to avoid: players talk about money now, and they talk about it openly.
That was the biggest adjustment for the Sooners’ general manager as he stepped into a program trying to handle the NIL and transfer portal era with a more professional setup. Oklahoma has built an NFL-style front structure, complete with a general manager and a dedicated scouting department, but the financial side of the sport has brought a new kind of pressure into the room.
Revenue sharing has only made that more pronounced. Players have a clearer sense of what they’re worth, and programs have to deal with the reality that compensation is no longer something kept quiet behind the scenes. That shift, Nagy said, caught him off guard.
"The biggest surprise, I would say... is just like probably went in naive to how much the players share their rev share and what they're being paid," Nagy said to On3's J.D. PicKell."... I always have to be mindful of the culture that's been built... the standard has been set."
For Oklahoma, that means culture matters more than ever. The Sooners are trying to make sure financial differences don’t become a source of division, while still operating in a system where money, expectations and locker-room chemistry all intersect.
It’s a new reality for college football, and one that demands more than just talent evaluation. At Oklahoma, the emphasis is on finding players who buy into the standard already in place. In this era, the roster can be built with skill, but staying at the top still comes down to culture.
In Other News...
Kirby Smart Just Sent Brent Venables A Message Sooners Fans Will Feel
Gentry Williams move from Oklahoma to Georgia is another reminder of how much respect Brent Venables defense carries around the sport. After four years in Norman, the former Sooners cornerback landed with Kirby Smarts program, and Smart wasted little time pointing to the value players bring when they come out of Venables system. For Oklahoma fans, it is the kind of outside validation that can sting a little, even as it underscores why the Sooners have been able to develop defensive backs who understand the game quickly.
The timing matters, too, because Oklahoma has been trying to patch together its cornerback room after several departures to the transfer portal. Venables has answered by bringing in new help through the portal and adding freshmen, but the depth chart still has a different look than it did a year ago. Williams now gives Georgia another experienced body in the secondary, while the Sooners are left balancing development and depth at a position where every snap can matter. [Read more 🡒]
Oklahoma May Be Closing In On A Massive 2028 Recruiting Surge
Oklahomas 2028 recruiting momentum could be picking up in a hurry, and the early signs are coming from two very different kinds of prospects. One is a local name with deep ties to the state in Owasso High School athlete Kamieon Compton-Nero, while the other is running back Jayshawn Mitchell, whose profile has risen quickly after turning heads in camp settings and drawing attention from several major programs.
Rivals national analyst Sam Spiegelman has already logged Crystal Ball predictions for both, which is the kind of signal that tends to get a fan base paying close attention this early in a cycle. If the Sooners can keep building on that traction, they would be looking at a 2028 class that is off to a fast start and, potentially, one that adds another four-star piece before the group has even had time to fully take shape. [Read more 🡒]