Inside Ohio State’s $18 Million NIL Game Plan

Ohio State Athletic Director Ross Bjork joins Adam Breneman for a candid, wide-ranging conversation on leading one of the biggest brands in college sports. Bjork reflects on his first days in Columbus—pinch-yourself moments in the same department as Woody Hayes and Jesse Owens—while laying out how he’s protecting a strong culture and modernizing the Buckeyes’ athletic department for what’s next. The episode digs into his overlap with Gene Smith and the simple advice that set the tone, the confidential process behind landing the Ohio State job, and first impressions of Ryan Day’s leadership and locker-room culture. Bjork walks through his game-day routine—from Skull Session to the AD suite to the sideline—and why he wants to feel the emotion right alongside fans and players. Bjork explains Ohio State’s approach to revenue sharing and NIL, including how they allocated $18M across sports, why the next arms race is building the NIL infrastructure itself, and how donor strategy and facilities now balance performance, recovery, and revenue generation. He also shares his view on the future of governance in college athletics, the College Sports Commission, potential federal legislation, and what smart playoff expansion could look like. We wrap with his hiring philosophy, the best part of the job, lessons from Western Kentucky, and his “why”: giving young people the chance to reach their full potential through sport. PRIZEPICKS: Get $50 in lineups when you play $5 with code "NEXTUP": https://prizepicks.onelink.me/ivHR/NextUp For sponsorships or business inquiries reach out to: [email protected] SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://www.youtube.com/@NextUpWithAdam?sub_confirmation=1 FOLLOW NEXT UP WITH ADAM: INSTAGRAM | https://shorturl.at/d9IdQ X | https://x.com/NextUpWithAdam TIKTOK | https://shorturl.at/qasuc SPOTIFY | https://shorturl.at/5ZdaK APPLE PODCASTS | https://shorturl.at/mW49D CHAPTERS: 0:00 - Intro 1:53 - First Days as Ohio State AD 3:40 - First Changes at Ohio State 6:18 - Advice from Gene Smith 7:31 - Process of getting Ohio State AD job 13:18 - First impression of Ryan Day 17:04 - Game Day as Ohio State’s AD 20:35 - Improving the Ohio State Football program 22:35 - NIL and Revenue Sharing 28:30 - Future governance of college sports 31:16 - How many teams in CFP? 33:27 - Hiring coaches as an AD 35:04 - Best part of the job 36:00 - Advice to Ross at Western Kentucky 37:04 - Ross Bjork’s why On Next Up, college football analyst Adam Breneman sits down with the most influential names in college sports and lets them tell their stories unfiltered, direct to the fans. Next Up is a Front Office Sports Network show featuring candid, open, and honest conversations with the most impactful figures in college sports including head coaches, athletes, athletic directors, commissioners, entrepreneurs, media personalities, agents, and executives shaping the business of college sports. Adam is a former All-American, Penn State alum and media personality. Front Office Sports is the leading multi-platform media and news organization covering the intersection of sports, business and culture.