On Wednesday, Oklahoma football announced that they are hiring Jim Nagy as their General Manager to help guide the program the challenges that college football currently presents.
Nagy has served as the Executive Director of the Senior Bowl, the most prestigious college postseason all-star game for draft-eligible players. Prior to that, Nagy served as a scout for 18 years in the NFL, working with Seattle, Kansas City, New England, and Washington.
“This is a new era in intercollegiate athletics at one of the greatest college football programs in the country,” said Nagy. “The legacy of excellence that precedes my arrival is a testament to the leadership at OU and the university’s commitment to execute at a championship level. I am honored to bring my experience and work ethic to this program and am confident that through collaboration and effort, we can achieve excellent results. I am truly excited to get to Norman and begin our process with Coach Venables and his great staff.”
In his new role with the Sooners, Nagy will be in charge of roster management and talent acquisition, including player recruitment, evaluation, retention, and compensation as part of his duties. He also will manage the impact of rules governing name, image, and likeness, the transfer portal process, revenue-share allocation, scholarship limits, and eligibility requirements.
“I am pleased to have worked with President Harroz and the Board of Regents to bring about this progressive change,” said OU Vice President and Director of Athletics Joe Castiglione. “Today’s evolving world requires skilled management of player contracts, multiple player acquisition pathways and allocating resources. All of these are new and vital functions within college athletics. I am convinced that great college football teams will be set apart by their ability to continually innovate to meet these massive changes. Part of that innovation means providing every tool Coach Venables and his staff need to be successful. OU’s willingness to reimagine the traditional structure and reposition the varied responsibilities within football operations will strengthen us going forward. Jim Nagy brings to us great experience, relationships and perspectives that will mesh well with our staff and will complement the program’s continued pursuit of conference and national championships.”
The addition also makes Brent Venables’ job a lot easier, which is key considering he’s entering a pivotal Year 4.
“The work required to manage a roster, including contract negotiations, player evaluation, strategic planning, recruiting, and retention, requires full-time focus and skill sets,” said OU Head Football Coach Brent Venables. “Nagy’s high-caliber, extensive experience in scouting, recruiting, and retaining top talent will pay dividends across our roster and ultimately on the field. I look forward to working alongside him and Athletics Director Castiglione as we look ahead to great things for OU football.”
“The future of OU Athletics is bright,” said University President Joe Harroz. “OU’s forward-thinking, coupled with the special team and skill sets we have assembled, gives me confidence that we will continue building championship football teams for years at OU.”
