Broken Arrow golfer receives state's first high school 'Name, Image, Likeness' deal
TULSA, Okla. (KTUL) — Broken Arrow's Peyton Coburn is the first high school athlete to receive a name, image, and likeness deal in Oklahoma.
The National Scouting Report announced the news Wednesday after it worked to help broker the deal.
Coburn is a junior and golfer.
"I play a sport where a lot of connections are made while out on the course,” Coburn said. “The majority of us want to play at the collegiate level and to be honest recruiting is not easy, so to be able to share the ease that NSR offers is great.”
NSR was already engaged in NIL deals with college athletes thanks to the landmark decision by the NCAA in July 2021. So when the Oklahoma Secondary Schools Activities Association (OSSAA) followed suit to benefit high schoolers earlier this fall, it was an easy transition, NSR said.
“Having a thumb on the pulse and being in the college scouting industry all day, every day, didn’t hurt on how quickly NSR jumped at the opportunity,” said Coach and NSR College Scout Corey Else.
He said Peyton’s firsthand experience with the quantity and quality of college coach introductions she’s received from NSR services made her an ideal spokesperson.
“Peyton also walks the halls and competes on the golf course with other athletes desiring to play at the collegiate level,” Else said. “Her personal experience and influence with her friends and competitors makes for a perfect fit allowing me to visit with and evaluate athletes who first heard about me from a very happy player.”
Else said overall the introduction of NIL has been positive but there are some situations that seem to go against the idea of why NIL was even introduced.
“Boosters (individuals who support athletic programs) have announced NIL deals to players who play on an offensive line for example,” Else said. “In a situation like this the NIL is associated with a group of people not an individual. They are setting a precedent where that group of individuals changes, some graduate and new linemen come in. This can be viewed as a pay-for-play, something that I think the NCAA was trying to avoid all along.”
Else said he hopes some additional guidelines will be put in place to keep deep-pocketed university boosters from getting all of the best players.
“In a time when there are COVID year extensions and the ever-growing popularity of the new transfer portal, colleges are taking fewer and fewer high school prospects each year,” Else said. “What was once somewhere around 5 percent of high schoolers playing collegiately is now likely 4 percent or 3 percent. Now more than ever, high school athletes need a scout in their corner.”
Through Peyton’s positive experience, Else said he expects other students and their families will be eager to land their own NIL deals tied to playing high school and college sports.
“Girls golf isn’t the most publicized sport out there,” Coburn said. “To be able to share my journey with golf through my NIL has been not only great for me but also all the girls that I play with. With NSR I have Corey and a team of so many other people in my corner helping me reach my goals.”