The Oklahoma State Cowboys are gearing up for a very important 2024 season.
With Texas and Oklahoma now gone to the SEC, Mike Gundy’s team fully believes they have what it takes to win the Big 12 conference and punch a ticket to the College Football Playoff.
If you look closely, you may notice something new about the Cowboys this season.
In a fascinating move, Oklahoma State is breaking new ground by becoming the first college football team in the nation to incorporate QR codes on their players’ helmets, aimed at promoting the program’s NIL fund.
This innovative move was announced by the university.
The QR codes will appear as 1.5-square-inch decals on the back of each helmet, easily seen by viewers watching at home. When scanned, these codes link directly to the general team fund, which benefits all student-athletes on the roster.
These QR codes are expected to gain additional visibility through postgame photos shared on social media. Furthermore, the school has also introduced QR codes on coasters within a premium section of their stadium, enhancing the reach of the initiative.
Gundy spoke in detail about just how clever of an idea the QR codes are in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. He pointed out that star running back Ollie Gordon’s QR code will most likely be the most popular of all.
“People are gonna hit his QR Code forever,” Gundy said of Gordon. “They’re gonna give him an opportunity. People could be at a bar in London, New York City, (Los Angeles), or Tokyo and having a watch party and get fired up.
“They can go online to our social media, and they can bang money to him or our team. It’s gonna be in all the bars in town, and restaurants. It’ll be on all the table-tops on gameday.”
The announcement comes at an interesting time, as Gundy just recently expressed concerns about the impact of NIL on college sports.
Gundy complained that players and their agents were trying to squeeze more money rather than focus on the season that’s finally upon us.
“There’s no negotiating now. The portal’s over. All the negotiation’s history. Now we’re playing football,” Gundy said. “The business side of what we do now – we have to have those conversations with [the players]. ‘Tell your agent to quit calling us and asking for more money.
“It’s non-negotiable now. It’ll start again in December. So now we’re able to direct ourselves just in football, and that part is fun.”
For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Paul Finebaum thought this wasn’t the smartest approach for Gundy to take.
“To me, it’s all negative because if you’re a player in Oklahoma City or Tulsa or Texas, and you’re thinking about going to a school and your head coach – who’s already known for being on the edge – just literally comes after players for asking for money, then why would you go there?” Finebaum wondered.
“And that program’s already in enough trouble because losing Oklahoma from the Big 12 is a big blow to Oklahoma State’s self-worth,” Finebaum continued. “I’ve been to Stillwater. It’s an interesting place to go to a game. But why in the world would you go play for Mike Gundy when you can play in Norman for a coach who understands where college football is today?”
Ouch.
Oklahoma State is set to kick off the 2024 season against defending FCS national champion South Dakota State.
Entering the season ranked No. 17 in the AP Top-25 poll, the Cowboys are coming off a successful 10-4 season, highlighted by a Texas Bowl victory and an appearance in the Big 12 championship game.
There is significant hope in Stillwater that Gundy’s team could indeed find their way into the College Football Playoff.
What are your thoughts on Oklahoma State’s QR code idea? … Do you think other schools will copy it???