BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — Midway through a clever engagement video featuring Oregon head coach Dan Lanning explains how the five-star cornerback Naeem Offord would fit into his program, a familiar octogenarian appeared on screen: Nike co-founder Phil Knight.
The Oregon super booster said nothing in the video announcing that Offord, the nation’s No. 2 cornerback and No. 12 overall prospect, had flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Oregon Class of 2025. But his presence was no coincidence.
“Uncle Phil,” as Oregon players call him, is doing everything he can to deliver a national title to his beloved Ducks. Getting a must-have 6-foot-1 five-star cornerback out of Alabama State and away from Oregon’s toughest Big Ten competition was only part of the plan.
“He played a big role, a really big role,” Offord told CBS Sports of Phil Knight. “He’s actually waiting for me to go up there, he’s got a lot of things planned for me. He’s going to help me make my shoe.”
Knight helped Oregon becomes big winner of early signing period Wednesday. In addition to Offord, Oregon flipped four-star quarterback Jaron Keawe Sagapolutele away from old Pac-12 rival Cal and held off Florida to sign five-star receiver Dallas Wilson. The Ducks have the fourth-ranked recruiting class in the countryaccording to 247Sports, which is especially impressive considering he only has 19 signees.
With four five-star prospects, Oregon has 247Sports’ highest-rated average recruit at 93.77. Oregon signed two of the top five receivers in the country (Wilson and Dakorien Moore) and two of the five best cornerbacks in the country (Offord and Brandon Finney).
Much credit goes to Lanning, one of the top recruiting head coaches in the country, and his chief of staff Marshall Malchow, who had recruiting success at Georgia and Texas A&M before heading to the Oregon with Lanning. Their relentless recruiting attitude is what fuels the operation and has enabled No. 1 Oregon, which plays Saturday in the Big Ten Championship against Penn State (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS) in its first season in the conference , to succeed for years to come.
But it’s impossible to overlook the value Knight has had in what Lanning and his team are building in Eugene. That a five-star recruit like Offord can have a relationship with one of the greatest sports entrepreneurs to ever walk the face of the Earth is a huge advantage for the Ducks.
There are also the obvious financial contributions from one of the richest men in the world. Knight, who is worth an estimated $45 billion according to Forbes, has donated more than $1 billion to his beloved University of Oregon over the years. He financed major renovations to Autzen Stadium, the basketball arena is named after his late son, and he spent hundreds of millions on academic buildings like Knight Library, the Knight Law Center, and a science complex. . Knight ran track in Oregon in the 1950s.
It was natural then that Knight would be involved in the Oregon name, image and likeness operation. He co-founded Division Street and populated it with Nike veterans such as Rosemary St. Clair, who serves as the organization’s chief executive officer.
As detailed in “The Price: What it Takes to Win in College Football’s Age of Chaos,” Knight was determined to do everything he could to help Oregon win.
Eighty-six-year-old Phil Knight was a prime example. The Nike co-founder desperately wanted his beloved Oregon Ducks to win a national championship before he died and played a hands-on role in transforming Oregon’s Division Street collective into one of the most avant-garde operations guards and the richest in the country.
“I had a deal that really needed to be done quickly, really quickly, and we were waiting for Phil to wake up (the morning of the deal) because he has to agree on every deal,” said one of the principals. NIL agents who frequently worked dealt with Division Street.
Said another NIL agent who has negotiated several deals with Division Street: “Phil Knight is financing this whole thing and wants to see them win a national title. They’re really, really aggressive with the money.”
Knight has always been very private about the total amount of his donations to the university, and Division Street operates the same way. Considered by many in the industry to be one of, if not the best funded collectives in the country, Division Street largely avoids media attention and simply works quietly and effectively in the shadows.
“They are extremely sophisticated and know exactly what they are doing,” another NIL agent told CBS Sports. “It’s a pleasure to work with them because they are very professional. They are very easy to work with.”
Knight’s role at Oregon garnered a mixture of jealousy and admiration from others. college football coaches. Kirby Smart, Lanning’s former boss at Georgia, told SEC Media Days about meeting Knight and his wife Penny and said, “I wish I could get some of that NIL money he shares with Dan Lanning .” At Big Ten Media Days, UCLA coach DeShaun Foster told us, “Oregon doesn’t have (a salary cap), but we do. There is a salary cap.”
Maryland coach Mike Locksley, one of the focal points of “The Price,” discussed Knight’s influence on Oregon’s NIL when explaining the college football landscape to one of the book’s co-authors .
“Phil Knight wants to win a championship and cure cancer,” Locksley said. “He made it very clear. Win a national championship and cure cancer with his billions.”
Lanning, the beneficiary of Knight’s largesse, has gently pushed into the past the narrative that Oregon has “unlimited NIL” money because of Knight. During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show this summer, Lanning said, “I think it’s impressive that guys like Kirby (Smart) have signed the No. 1 class in the country for no money all this time.” “If you want to be in the top 10 in college football, you better have big support. We have it.”
Offord, the last five-star player to sign up for Oregon, said NIL didn’t play a major role in his decision because the amount would have been similar everywhere. He’s more interested in preparing for the next level under Lanning’s tutelage and the money that could come from a successful professional career down the line.
And he’s excited about what Uncle Phil can do for him once he gets to Eugene after graduating from high school early.
“NIL, it’s cool, but everyone will want mentions,” Offord said. “I’m going to need supporters everywhere and I think Phil Knight will help me. He can play a big role and help me with endorsements and marketing.”