Uncle Phil - Oregon

Dec 5, 2024, 9:05 AM

Phil Knight spares no NIL deal in thirst for Oregon national title: 'He's gonna help me make my shoe'
Most people assume the Nike co-founder's involvement in Oregon's recruiting operation, but the level of specificity uncovered Wednesday is noteworthy

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- Midway through a slick commitment video that featured Oregon head coach Dan Lanning explaining how five-star cornerback Na'eem Offord would fit into his program, a familiar octogenarian popped up on screen: Nike co-founder Phil Knight.

The Oregon super booster didn't say anything in the video that announced Offord, the nation's No. 2 cornerback and No. 12 overall prospect, had flipped his commitment from Ohio State to Oregon's 2025 class. But his presence wasn't a coincidence.

"Uncle Phil," as he's known to Oregon players, is doing everything he can to deliver a national title for his beloved Ducks. Getting a must-have 6-foot-1 five-star cornerback out of the state of Alabama and away from Oregon's toughest Big Ten competition was just part of the plan.

"He played a big role, like a huge, big role," Offord told CBS Sports of Phil Knight. "He's actually waiting on me to get up there, he's got a lot of stuff planned for me. He's gonna help me make my shoe."

Knight helped Oregon earn the status of Wednesday's big winner of the early signing period. 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 nation's No. 4 recruiting class, according to 247Sports, which is especially impressive given it only has 19 signees.

With four five-star prospects, Oregon has 247Sports' highest-rated average recruit at 93.77. Oregon signed two of the nation's top five receivers (Wilson and Dakorien Moore) and two of the nation's top five cornerbacks (Offord and Brandon Finney).

Major credit goes to Lanning, one of the best 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 Oregon with Lanning. Their relentless recruiting attitude is what powers the operation and has No. 1 Oregon, playing in Saturday's Big Ten Championship against Penn State (3:30 p.m. ET on CBS) in its first season in the conference, built to succeed for years to come.

But it's impossible to discount the value Knight has had for what Lanning and his staff 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 tremendous advantage for the Ducks.

There's the obvious financial contributions, too, from one of the world's wealthiest men. Knight, worth an estimated $45 billion according to Forbes, has donated upwards of $1 billion to his beloved University of Oregon over the years. He has funded major renovations for Autzen Stadium, the basketball arena bears his late son's name and he has spent hundreds of millions on academic buildings like Knight Library, the Knight Law Center and a science complex. Knight ran track at Oregon in the 1950s.

It was natural then that Knight would be involved in Oregon's name, image and likeness operation. He cofounded 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 Era of Chaos," Knight was all-in on doing everything he could to help Oregon win.

Eighty-six-year old Phil Knight was a prime example. The cofounder of Nike desperately wanted his beloved Oregon Ducks to win a national championship before he died and took a hands-on role in turning Oregon's Division Street collective into one of the country's most cutting-edge and wealthy operations.

"I had a deal that really needed to get done quickly, really quickly, and we were waiting on Phil to wake up [the morning of the deal] because he has to agree on every contract," said a top NIL agent who has frequently dealt with Division Street.

Said another NIL agent that has negotiated with Division Street on multiple deals: "Phil Knight is bankrolling that whole thing and wants to see them win a national title. They are really, really aggressive with money."

Knight has always been very private about the total amount of his donations to the university and Division Street operates in a similar manner. Believed by many in the industry to be one of, if not the, best-funded collectives in the country, Division Street largely eschews media attention and just works quietly, and efficiently, in the shadows.

"They are extremely sophisticated and know exactly what they're doing," another NIL agent told CBS Sports. "I find it a pleasure to work with them because they are so professional. They are super easy to work with."

Knight's role with Oregon has prompted a mix of jealousy and admiration from other college football coaches. Kirby Smart, Lanning's former boss at Georgia, told a story at SEC Media days about meeting Knight and his wife Penny and said "I wish I could get some of that NIL money that he's sharing 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's a salary cap."

Maryland coach Mike Locksley, one of the focal points of "The Price," brought up Knight's influence on Oregon's NIL when explaining the college football landscape to one of the coauthors of the book.

"Phil Knight wants to win a championship and cure cancer," Locksley said. "He's made that very clear. Win a national championship and cure cancer with his billions."

Lanning, the beneficiary of Knight's largesse, has gently pushed back in the past on the narrative 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 been signing the No. 1 class in the nation without any NIL money this entire time. Obviously coach Smart took a little shot at us. If you want to be a top-10 team in college football, you better have great support. We have that."

Offord, the latest five-star to sign up for Oregon, said NIL didn't play a major factor in his decision because the amount would have been similar everywhere. He's more interested in preparing himself 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 for what Uncle Phil can do for him once he gets to Eugene after graduating high school early.

"NIL is cool but anybody is gonna want endorsements," Offord said. "I'm gonna need endorsements all around and I feel like Phil Knight will help me with it. He can play a big role and help me with endorsements and marketing."