Norman, OK – The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield, the leading media and technology company powering college athletics, announced today an extension of their 30-year partnership that marks a new chapter of innovation for Sooner student-athletes, fans, and partners. Under the extended agreement, Oklahoma and Learfield will build the Sooner Evolution Center, an on-campus, state-of-the-art facility that will continue to grow its nationally leading Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) activities for student-athletes.
“Our partnership with Learfield is entering a new phase built around opportunity and impact,” said OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Roger Denny. “The Sooner Evolution Center will give our student-athletes access to dedicated NIL resources, professional content creation, brand-building support, and collaborative space designed specifically for today’s college athletics environment. This investment strengthens our ability to help student-athletes develop their personal brands, connect with meaningful opportunities, and maximize their potential both during their time at Oklahoma and beyond.”
OU is a national leader in NIL programs tapping into Learfield Impact NIL services—centered on people, content, and technology—to maximize opportunities for student-athletes. To continue the growth of OU Athletics’ award-winning programs, the Sooner Evolution Center will provide dedicated resources to help student-athletes build their brand, develop relationships with brand partners, and create NIL campaigns. The Sooner Evolution Center will feature office and meeting space, educational resources, and cutting-edge podcast and video recording studios, powered by Sooner Sports Productions, to drive additional NIL growth.
“The Sooner Evolution Center represents a significant step forward in how we support student-athletes in the NIL era,” said OU Deputy Athletics Director for Business Development and Revenue Generation Marcus Bowman. “By bringing together NIL strategy, content production, brand development, and athlete education under one roof, we’re creating a centralized resource that will help student-athletes navigate opportunities more effectively and elevate Oklahoma’s position as a leader in collegiate athletics. This facility reflects our commitment to providing the tools, expertise, and infrastructure necessary for long-term success.”
Under the leadership of Kelly Collyar, Vice President and General Manager of Sooner Sports Properties, Oklahoma Athletics has achieved significant NIL success, including groundbreaking programs with Beats by Dre, Sonic, Fowler Automotive, State Farm, and many more. OU Athletics and Sooner Sports Properties are investing in additional dedicated resources for NIL dealmaking and student-athlete storytelling, including elevating Matthew Archibald to Executive Producer, adding an additional supervising producer, and adding multiple content creators who will also support 1Oklahoma, OU’s centralized platform that powers fan marketing events and memberships. This will establish Oklahoma as one of the largest dedicated NIL content teams in the country.
“We are excited to continue our 30-year partnership with OU Athletics and collaborate with Roger, Marcus, and their team to elevate OU’s NIL programs to the next level,” said Kim Damron, Learfield’s President of Sports Properties. “The Sooner Evolution Center will provide student-athletes with powerful brand-building, media-training, and deal-facilitation resources to make an impact on their lives while in Norman and beyond.”
As part of the agreement, Learfield’s Sooner Sports Properties will support Oklahoma’s Palace Project stadium renovation, which will transform Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium, featuring new premium amenities, gathering spaces, and experiences. Learfield will also support the upcoming Rock Creek Entertainment District in Norman, which will include a new state-of-the-art 8,000-seat arena for women’s and men’s basketball and women’s gymnastics, succeeding the Lloyd Noble Center.
In partnership with Sooner Sports Properties, OU Athletics has developed significant brand sponsorships. Notable partnerships include an on-field logo sponsorship with Riverwind at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and a first-of-its-kind Sonic softball sponsorship featuring NIL and an on-field logo at Love’s Field. These initiatives, along with future opportunities such as jersey patches, deliver next-level opportunities for OU Athletics, student-athletes, and brand partners.
About Oklahoma Athletics
The University of Oklahoma Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 21 varsity sports programs (over 500 student-athletes) that compete at the NCAA Division I level. OU’s athletics programs have combined for 46 all-time NCAA team championships, with 20 of them earned since the start of the 2012-13 academic year. Men’s gymnastics paces the university’s sports programs with 12 national team titles and is followed by softball (8), women’s gymnastics (8), football (7), wrestling (7), baseball (2) and men’s golf (2). The sport of football has produced a nation-leading 50 all-time conference championships and ranks second with seven Heisman Trophy winners and five No. 1 overall NFL Draft picks. Student-athletes have registered a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or higher each of the last 29 semesters, including a department-record 3.33 figure during the spring 2026 term. OU is located in Norman, which is Oklahoma’s third-largest city with a population of more than 120,000, in the heart of the state. It is a 20-minute drive from Oklahoma City, the state capital.
About Learfield
Learfield is the leading media and technology company powering college athletics. Through its digital and physical platforms, Learfield owns and leverages a deep data set and relationships in the industry to drive revenue, growth, brand awareness, and fan engagement for brands, sports, and entertainment properties. With ties to over 1,200 collegiate institutions and over 12,000 local and national brand partners, Learfield’s presence in college sports and live events delivers influence and maximizes reach to target audiences. With solutions for a 365-day, 24/7 fan experience, Learfield enables schools and brands to connect with fans through licensed merchandise, game ticketing, donor identification for athletic programs, exclusive custom content, innovative marketing initiatives, NIL solutions, and advanced digital platforms. Since 2008, it has served as title sponsor for the acclaimed Learfield Directors’ Cup, supporting athletic departments across all divisions.