Oklahoma high school athletes could soon cash in on additional NIL Deals

In Oklahoma, Friday night lights are serious business. Now, a new partnership could let high school athletes benefit from additional Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) opportunities.

Bryan Bedford, CEO of the Oklahoma City–based Bedford Agency, says the influencer economy is changing the game.

“We really felt like that was a missing gap, a missing opportunity for the high school space,” Bedford said. “They aren’t structured like colleges; they don’t have the staff, and the rules are different.”

Bedford’s agency is teaming up with Opendorse — a national NIL platform already used by universities like the University of Oklahoma. Together, they’ll offer athletes a branded marketplace, consulting, training, and support, all through a mobile app.

“They’ll create a bio and their social platforms, so they can have a centralized place for brands and parties to do NIL deals through a common marketplace,” Bedford explained.

Former OU quarterback Charles Thompson has already seen the impact of NIL on his own son, Casey, and believes these new tools could open even more doors for Oklahoma’s young athletes.

“They do provide not just the opportunity to make money, but they also provide educational material and programs as well,” Thompson said. “If you combine the two, I think it’s like anything else. The quicker we can learn how to earn and learn how to save, and maybe make better choices with our financial choices, the better.”

Thompson, who now helps run youth football in Oklahoma, admits NIL has critics but compares it to opportunities athletes have always had.

“There are a lot of people who will say this is unfair,” Thompson said. “But it’s the same thing when people are getting a scholarship and not getting a scholarship. Same type of variation.”