He's 40, he's a man, and he wants more NIL money.
During his media availability yesterday, Oklahoma State coach Mike Gundy initiated one of his unique rants about wanting to focus on playing football rather than have to deal with the business side of the ledger.
Today, we found out why.
In a breakthrough development, the Cowboys announced that their helmets will now include QR codes on the back. The codes won't be visible to spectators, but home viewers will be able to capture them during OSU broadcasts to help the Cowboys raise more NIL money.
NIL money is leading to new tactics
Gundy called the tactic a "revolutionary step forward, adding that he's "thrilled" for the opportunities this represents for his players. He spoke about the chance for Cowboy fans to get involved in the day-to-day dealings of the OSU program.
The OSU coach is also looking to clear his calendar a little. One of his complaints about the transfer portal and the NIL negotiations that go with it was a tidbit about being bothered by agents, as he told players to "Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money."
Gundy understands that these kinds of negotiations are "non-negotiable," to use his own words about the role they play, but he wants to limit his dealings with agents and money to after December and prior to the start of the season.
The Oklahoma State opener
The Cowboys are a big-time program, so Gundy's desire to compete for big players who want plenty of NIL money is understandable. The Cowboys were ranked #18 by ESPN in their preseason poll, and OSU will be looking to crack the expanded college football playoffs now that the field has been expanded to 12 teams.
Those QR codes will first appear in the Cowboys opener against reigning FCS champs South Dakota State. Running back Ollie Gordon II will lead their attack after rushing for over 1700 yards last season.
Oklahoma State will also be competing in the newly expanded version of the Big 12, which now includes multiple teams from the former Pac 12 as well as Houston, UCF, and West Virginia. That's a lot of new teams to deal with in one year, so there's good reason for Gundy to want to concentrate on football.
The Cowboys also have tough back-to-back games at #12 Utah, then the following week at Kansas State. The Arkansas Razorbacks are also on the schedule after that first game against the Jackrabbits, so Gundy will have to have OSU primed and ready to go if he's going to compete for a playoff berth and bid for a land a bowl berth in the process. Expectations are always high in Stillwater, and this year is no exception.
The future of QR codes
QR codes are everywhere these days, so it's not exactly surprising to see them on the backs of helmets. Viewers already have to deal with ads in all kinds of forms that are invisible to live spectators.
If the tactic works, expect it to be copied quickly, and on a widespread basis, too. Like the NFL, college football tends to be a copycat league, and if the codes work well for OSU, plenty of other Top 25 programs will at least consider the option.
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