As college athletics braces for a new era of revenue sharing, the University of Oklahoma is making significant structural changes. In response to the upcoming financial shift—expected to redirect over $20 million annually to student-athletes—the OU athletic department has announced staff layoffs affecting 5% of its workforce.
Athletic Director Joe Castiglione framed the cuts as part of a broader effort to remain competitive in a rapidly evolving collegiate sports landscape.
Oklahoma Athletic Department To Lay Off 5% Of Staff Amid Revenue-Sharing Shift.
In a recent interview with OU Daily, the University of Oklahoma announced recent staff cuts to about 5% of the staff currently working with the University, with upwards of 15 set to lose their jobs.
This comes amid a current shift in revenue sharing at the University, with the program having to share upwards of 20$ million with the athletes playing College Football and other sports at the University.
Oklahoma Confirms Athletic Staff Layoffs.
On Thursday, the Oklahoma University Daily announced that they had been informed that planned layoffs were occurring at the University. An email surrounding the details was also shared.
“Dear Colleagues, I write today with deep respect for the incredible work all of you bring to OU athletics.” Oklahoma athletic director Castingoli opened in his email.
“As we all know, the modern era of college athletics requires embracing a new blueprint and reimagining our strategy to keep OU competitive. The dawn of revenue-sharing with College Athletes marks a critical moment, bringing us into a new era of competitiveness.” The Athletic Director explained, going on to announce staff layoffs.
“To that end, we are further restructuring and streamlining our staff functions so we can reinvest in priority areas that strengthen the rest of our department. Regrettably, this action requires a limited reduction in force,” Castingolie explained.
Mike Houck, an associate athletic director, explained that 5% of 302 full-time department employees would be cut, meaning 15 positions. Houck described this as significant cost-cutting that occurred over the past nine months.
Joe Castiglione’s Email Reveals What’s Coming Amid Revenue-Sharing Shift.
Despite the recent announcement, these plans and cuts have been in the background over the past few months, with Athletic Director Castiglione writing a letter to program fans in February to explain the situation.
“Each day, there are headlines on the change and disruption seen throughout college athletics. In Oklahoma, when we read those headlines, we see opportunity and possibility.” Castingolie opened the email before going into more detail about what to expect in the future.
Within two months, the likely reality of revenue sharing with student-athletes will be upon us due to the expected approval of the House vs. NCAA class action lawsuit settlement.”
“Oklahoma is planning to share the maximum allowed annual revenue, amounting to $20.5 million beginning July 1, 2025. Never before has it been more important to position our program to compete and succeed, and that’s exactly what we plan on doing.” The Athletic Director explained.
KEEP READING: ‘Lightyears Better’ – David Pollack Expects Major Turnaround for Oklahoma in 2025
In this letter, Oklahoma also listed the planned areas of investment, including investments in student athletes, the NIL of Tomorrow, and revenue generation.
The Oklahoma vs the NCAA class action lawsuit still currently hangs in the balance despite the University preparing for the success of the case, with the most recent update coming earlier in the month.
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