University of Oklahoma and Learfield Extend 30-Year Partnership, Announce Sooner Evolution Center

The University of Oklahoma (OU) Athletics Department and Learfield have announced an extension of their 30-year partnership and plans to build the Sooner Evolution Center, an on-campus facility dedicated to NIL resources, content creation, and brand development for student-athletes. The center will feature office and meeting space, educational resources, and podcast and video recording studios operated by Sooner Sports Productions.

Our partnership with Learfield is entering a new phase built around opportunity and impact, says Roger Denny, Vice President and Director of Athletics, University of Oklahoma. The Sooner Evolution Center will give our student-athletes access to dedicated NIL resources, professional content creation, brand-building support, and collaborative space designed specifically for today's college athletics environment.

The Sooner Evolution Center represents a significant step forward in how we support student-athletes in the NIL era, says Marcus Bowman, Deputy Athletics Director for Business Development and Revenue Generation, OU. By bringing together NIL strategy, content production, brand development, and athlete education under one roof, we're creating a centralized resource that will help student-athletes navigate opportunities more effectively and elevate Oklahoma's position as a leader in collegiate athletics.

We are excited to continue our 30-year partnership with OU Athletics and collaborate with Roger, Marcus, and their team to elevate OU's NIL programs to the next level, says Kim Damron, President of Sports Properties, Learfield. The Sooner Evolution Center will provide student-athletes with powerful brand-building, media-training, and deal-facilitation resources to make an impact on their lives while in Norman and beyond.

OU is adding dedicated NIL staff including elevating Matthew Archibald to Executive Producer, adding a supervising producer, and hiring multiple content creators who will also support 1Oklahoma, OU's centralized fan marketing platform.

As part of the agreement, Learfield's Sooner Sports Properties will also support OU's Palace Project stadium renovation at Gaylord Family - Oklahoma Memorial Stadium and the upcoming Rock Creek Entertainment District in Norman, which will include a new 8,000-seat arena for basketball and women's gymnastics.

LINK:	https://www.sportsvideo.org/2026/06/10/university-of-oklahoma-and-lear...
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