Oklahoma and Learfield are slated to announce a five-year extension of their deal through 2037, the parties told Sports Business Journal. Exact financial terms were not disclosed. The agreement centers on the creation of the Sooner Evolution Center, an on-campus facility that will be geared toward helping Oklahoma athletes activate on NIL deals.
Oklahoma has been among Learfield’s longest standing partners, with a relationship that dates back to 1994. The current deal was slated to expire in 2032, while talks around an extension have been ongoing for the better part of a year.
“Every time that there was time to step up and do something different, do something innovative, do something first, they always look to the University of Oklahoma to be one of those pioneers and one of those kind of first movers, even dating back to the origination of us working with Learfield,” said Marcus Bowman, Oklahoma’s deputy AD of business development and revenue generation. “That was the genesis.”
The deal comes at a crucial time for Oklahoma, which recently broke ground on a basketball arena in the Rock Creek Entertainment District. The school is also in the early stages of planning for a major renovation of Gaylord Family — Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.
As part of the agreement, Learfield will be a key cog in the future business apparatus at the new basketball arena, where it will be a selling partner for Oklahoma-specific events. The deal will also include the elevation of supervising producer Matt Archibald to executive producer as the school and Learfield look to partner on more branded content.
“This center will not only help our student athletes and cultivate relationships with our brands,” said Learfield Sports Properties President Kim Damron, “but also help from a content perspective as well and help them have a resource in place to go to actually develop their individual brand as well.”
The Sooner Evolution Center is expected to function similarly to how Learfield has deployed the Advantage Center, which it rolled out at Alabama as part of its extension in 2023.
Oklahoma, too, becomes the latest extension for Learfield, which has renewed or extended 40 clients (15 in the Power Four) over the last two years.
