Oklahoma’s reigning high school football champs are winning at NIL too. How Bixby athletes are making extra cash.

If you’d like an autograph or endorsement from a Bixby Spartan — you’re in luck, but you’ll have to pay.

Bixby Public Schools is one of the first Oklahoma prep sports programs to offer what colleges and professional leagues have offered for years: formal opportunities for athletes to cash in on their name, image and likeness. 

NIL is a legal right to control how one’s image is used, including for commercial profit, and it’s been at play in collegiate athletics since 2021. NIL expanded to the high school level three years ago when the Oklahoma Secondary School Activities Association published guidelines — but Bixby’s new marketplace is the first among Tulsa-area schools.

“I want to be able to provide those opportunities to our students and our student athletes to make some gas money,” said Kate Creekmore, athletic director at Bixby Public Schools. “I don’t think anyone’s getting rich here.”

The district is partnering with Opendorse, the same NIL company used by the University of Oklahoma, at a total cost of $16,500 over three years. The investment allows students to keep 100% of the profits when they agree to promote a product or service. 

More than 15 Bixby athletes have Opendorse profiles so far, charging $12 and up for an autograph, appearance, endorsement or social media post. Many are members of Bixby High School’s storied football program, which has racked up seven consecutive state championships. Opendorse will monitor all activity on the district’s marketplace and provide webinars for students to build branding and promotional skills.

“I don’t necessarily love where we are with the name, image, likeness thing,” Creekmore said, noting her nostalgia for a time where students at all levels played for the love of the game — or for a college scholarship. 

“But it is where we are,” she said. “We’ve got to stay with it and keep up with the time, so to speak.”

Bixby senior linebacker and Texas Tech commit Cord Nolan was one of the first students to enroll. He hopes it will prepare him for the collegiate NIL environment.

“I think it’ll help me understand how everything works, plugging things in and communicating with people,” Nolan said. “It’s just a good opportunity to get our names out there and kind of just help the community out if they want us to do something.”

Braylin Presley, a highly decorated Bixby football alumnus and current running back at The University of Tulsa, thinks NIL access in high school could support those balancing school, sports and a job. 

“(It) could have changed the way that a lot of kids go about high school in general,” he said. “That could help with not having to focus on so many things — keeping your focus on the sport.” 

His brother, Braeden Presley, is also using Bixby’s NIL portal. Braeden, a wide receiver and cornerback, will soon be the third Presley brother to play for the Oklahoma State Cowboys.

“I love that we have such a supportive community and parents — I love being able to see kids shake hands and look someone in the eye and have a complete conversation,” Creekmore said. “I love that this gives them hopefully more of a possibility to do those things and to grow in kind of this holistic person.” 

Ensuring compliance with OSSAA guidelines

NIL guidelines at the prep level are determined by the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association, an organization that governs athletic and academic extracurricular activities in middle schools and high schools across the state. 

To get the NIL ball rolling, Bixby met with OSSAA’s NIL representative — the Bedford Agency — in September 2024. The agency already had a partnership with Opendorse to introduce more high schools to branded marketplaces and training.

After that meeting, Bixby contacted Opendorse about a partnership over the summer. By October, the school board approved an agreement that would launch an NIL marketplace at Bixby, opening the door for student athletes to cash in on their names.

OSSAA’s guidelines limit what students can sell or how they can promote a brand. Compensation cannot be based on athletic performance or be used to incentivize enrollment in a specific school district. Students cannot wear school apparel or equipment. A school’s facility, logo, name, mascot or other trademarked symbol cannot be used as a part of an NIL deal.  

Bixby has a six-step process to ensure compliance with these regulations and student safety.

1. Students and their parents must indicate interest. 
2. Students and their parents must watch a recorded Opendorse educational Zoom session.
3. They must sign an NIL approval waiver.
4. A staff member will create the Opendorse account.
5. When an offer is made and the student agrees, the business will pay Opendorse directly. The student must upload proof of completion. 
6. Bixby staff will review the activity to confirm it meets OSSAA guidelines. If it does, students will receive payment. 

So far, only one other Oklahoma high school has partnered with Opendorse. About an hour’s drive west of Bixby, six Cushing High School athletes have signed up for NIL access. No other Tulsa-area school district has moved to adopt any formalized NIL partnership. 

Some districts are pursuing a different path. Rather than sign a multi-year contract, Jenks is focusing on NIL education for coaches, athletes and families. 

“If you look at the landscape of collegiate athletics and how the NIL has blown up, we knew it would be coming our way,” said Clay Martin, athletic director at Jenks Public Schools. 

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