OU softball star Tiare Jennings inks ‘major’ NIL deal with Sooner collective 1Oklahoma

1Oklahoma – the nonprofit collective founded by a group of businessmen and Hall of Fame Oklahoma coach Barry Switzer – continues to make big moves in the Sooners’ NIL market.

The collective announced Wednesday it has agreed to a NIL deal with Sooners’ softball star Tiare Jennings. The partnership with Jennings comes one day after 1Oklahoma revealed a NIL agreement with receiver Drake Stoops, the son of legendary OU coach Bob Stoops. The deal with Stoops was the first significant deal since 1Oklahoma launched last winter.

“We’re ecstatic to announce the signing of Tiare Jennings to a major NIL deal with 1Oklahoma collective,” the group said on social media. “She’s a game changer! Our nonprofits will love partnering with Tiare.”

The 1Oklahoma Foundation is a nonprofit organization “committed to collaborating with and serving some of the most impactful nonprofits throughout the state of Oklahoma through the Name, Image, and Likeness of OU athletes.”

When it launched, 1Oklahoma said it hoped to pay football players between $40,000 and $50,000 for NIL partnerships. But the terms of Tiare Jennings’ agreement were not revealed.

Tiare Jennings’ deal makes sense for 1Oklahoma

Regardless of the terms, it’s another major move in the Sooners’ NIL space.

Tiare Jennings arrived at Oklahoma after winning the Gatorade Player of the Year Award for California while at San Pedro St. Anthony High School. Jennings made an immediate impact for Oklahoma, hitting 27 home runs in the 2021 season. Jennings was an NFCA Unanimous first-team All-American, Big 12 Freshman of the Year and first-team all-league pick.

Things got even better for Jennings in 2022.

Jennings ranked first in the country with 87 RBIs and second in home runs with 29. She finished the season with a .401 batting average and tied a Women’s College World Series record with two home runs in Game One of the championship series.

Jennings was considered a major reason why the Sooners won the 2022 national championship – setting WCWS records for RBIs (15), home runs (five) and setting a WCWS single-game record for most total bases (11).

Simply put, Jenning is the star player on a star-studded team with a huge following and loyal fanbase. Her deal with 1Oklahoma – along with the agreement with Stoops – will definitely generate momentum with potential collective donors.

And that’s important because it’s a competitive market for donor dollars in the Oklahoma collective market. Currently, there are four collectives operating in the space – 1Oklahoma, Crimson and Cream, Strengthening Oklahoma and Norman NIL Club.

“We are ecstatic to have Tiare become a 1Oklahoma collective athlete,” 1Oklahoma CEO Scott Williams told On3. “She’s a great ambassador for women’s softball and will be a catalyst for us signing the entire OU women’s softball team. Her championship mindset and values align perfectly with 1Oklahoma collective’s mission of making a difference in the community. We already have major nonprofit partners lining up.”

Jennings has solid On3 NIL Valuation

Tiare Jennings currently has an On3 NIL Valuation of $35,000. The On3 NIL Valuation is the industry’s leading index that sets the standard market NIL value for high school and college athletes. The On3 NIL Valuation calculates the optimized NIL opportunity for athletes relative to the overall NIL market and projects out to as long as 12 months into the future.

With her success, Jennings has developed one of the best brands in softball.

Furthermore, Jennings ranks No. 5 in the On3 College Softball NIL Ranking. Plus, she’s executed deals with The Players Lounge, Breaking T, Rapsodo Softball, Icons of Oklahoma and others. She also has a solid social media presence with more than 37,000 followers, mostly coming from Instagram. She has an On3 Per Post Value of $572.