The University of Oklahoma—one of college football’s iconic programs—is cutting staff. While that might not seem earth-shattering at first glance, the reasons behind it could signal a tidal shift in how college sports are funded, run, and prioritized.
According to OU Daily and KOKH reports, Oklahoma’s athletic department is laying off around 15 non-student staff members, roughly 5% of its workforce. Like many other programs nationwide, the Sooners are preparing for the financial reality of revenue sharing with student-athletes. OU is expected to shell out $20.5 million annually to meet the NCAA’s new compensation requirements. And with that, the belt has to tighten.
Athletic Director Joe Castiglione emailed staff to call it a “limited reduction in force,” saying the school had reached a “critical moment” that required restructuring department functions. Castiglione also noted that he’s adjusting his salary in response to the cuts, though the details remain under wraps unless you dig through public records (OU Daily).
Castiglione said this is the sole expected reduction in force. Still, the cuts open the door to the bigger question: What does this mean for college football, at Oklahoma and beyond?
This isn’t just about trimming the fat. These layoffs touch the heart of the behind-the-scenes operation that helps a powerhouse like OU run smoothly. From logistics to compliance to athlete services, these aren’t just “positions”—they’re the glue that holds a high-level athletic program together. Though the staff number (15) might not seem massive, the message the cuts send is this: Even “the big boys” must adapt.
OU is a blue blood, one of the few programs that can walk into any living room in America and command respect. If they have to let go of staff and adjust leadership salaries to meet the new normal, what happens to schools without that level of prestige or donor support? Consider Arkansas State and the Akron of college football, for example, programs that don’t have (and can’t imagine) winning national championships, having mega TV deals, and being supported by a cast of deep-pocketed boosters.
If revenue sharing is the new baseline—and it is—those programs will have to stretch even thinner. Staff will shrink, budgets will get tighter, and the pressure to deliver a top-tier athlete experience will grow. In short, they’ll have to do more with less.
And let’s not forget the timing. The NCAA is also shaking up roster rules in football, giving programs even more variables to manage. It’s a perfect storm with more athletes to support and fewer hands on deck.
So, here’s what I’m wondering (and maybe you are too): Is this the new normal?
We all love this game, Saturdays in the fall, the roar of the crowd, the grit, the tradition. But the game behind the game—the one being played in spreadsheets and salary adjustments—is changing fast. For the better, in many ways. Athletes should be compensated. But there’s no denying it’s going to come at a cost.
So what happens next? Cut other sports? Raise ticket prices? Launch more donor campaigns? And when does the mission of college sports—education, growth, community—start to get lost in the balance sheets? We don’t know … yet.
But Oklahoma’s decision feels like a marker, a moment we’ll look back on as a turning point. The sport we love is evolving. The question is: Can the programs we love evolve with it?
Stay tuned because this is only the beginning.
