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The Oklahoma Sooners are one of college football's most historic programs, and throughout every era, they have found ways to remain competitive. However, the current landscape of college football presents challenges unlike anything the program has faced before.
The rise of NIL and the transfer portal has completely changed how programs build and maintain their rosters. In today's game, a program's reputation alone is no longer enough to secure every elite recruit. While some players value tradition, development and program history, others are focused primarily on financial opportunities.
Oklahoma can compete in NIL, but the Sooners understand they will not always win bidding wars against programs with deeper financial resources. Sooner general manager Jim Nagy discussed that reality during SEC media days in an interview with On3's J.D. PicKell. During the conversation, Nagy delivered one of the most memorable quotes from the week.
"You've just got to find the guys that are about the right stuff," Nagy said. "The money part, we're going to be competitive, but they've got to buy into what we're about. That's the culture and the brotherhood and being developed. The guys that we recruit to Oklahoma should have NFL futures. If they come in and put in the work, they allow themselves to be developed. So, Sunday money is always going to trump Saturday money."
The NIL era has changed the way college football teams compete, but Oklahoma believes championships are still built the same way: with talented players who are willing to work, develop and buy into something bigger than themselves.
Money will always be part of the equation, but the Sooners are betting that the players who want to reach the NFL will value development and culture just as much as their initial NIL deal.
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This article originally appeared on Sooners Wire: Jim Nagy drops the quote of SEC media days
